What They Hear

I talk a lot. Anyone who knows me will find the fact that I had to state that funny -- that's how much I talk. It's a given. I also talk fast, which means that in a given day I say a LOT of words to a lot of people, but particularly my students.

You remember on Charlie Brown, how none of the adults had faces -- they all just sounded like this constant, sharp drone? Sometimes I wonder if that's how I sound to my students, especially after interactions like I had today. Consider the following scenario:

Student (I'll call him "C") walks up to me at the basketball game after school to ask for help on his social studies homework. Since I am not, in fact, his social studies teacher, I'm trying to figure it out myself as we go along. He opens up to a map that he has to label and asks...
C: Do I have to check this?
Ms. Stuntz: Well, what do the directions say?
C (reading): "I am not going to REQUIRE you to check your map. However, I can PROMISE THAT IT WILL HELP YOU A LOT if you do."
Ms. Stuntz (smiling): So what does that mean, C?
C (smiling broadly): I DON'T have to check my work! Great! Thanks Ms. Stuntz!
Ms. Stuntz: Wait, wait, C, hang on a second -- is that really what it said?
C: Yep, see right here? "...Not going to REQUIRE you to check your map." That means you don't have to do it [said in a condescending tone as if I don't quite understand English] Thanks for all the help!

If the child isn't hearing the CAPS LOCK MESSAGE, I wonder what else I say every day that my children don't hear (and what I don't realize I'm saying that they do pick up on loud and clear -- not sure which is scarier!) Lord help us all!

On a separate note, I've been bad about posting lately. Mostly, that's because I'm a workaholic and it's been a nutty month, but I'm also trying to learn how to rest away from my computer. New experiment. We'll see how it goes...