After reading your stories, Melissa and Caci, (and laughing like crazy) I thought I would share some stories that I have tucked away in my "Dumb Struck" file. I don't know how many of you know that Caci is now teaching at my school, so I get to see her every day. My first story is dedicated to her because she has truly had her hands full this year with the students in her class and I will blame them for her "dumb struck" thinking. You be the judge.....
The first week back to school in January after the Christmas break was my first glimpse of a Caci that I did not recognize as a member of our family. Let me explain...She and her class were preparing to plant tulip bulbs in her planter box as a part of a national study on the coming of Spring. Following the planting guidelines, Caci and her students went outside to fill their planter box with soil and plant their tulip bulbs. I had purchased several sets of gardening tools so that each student would have his own small hand shovel to use for the task. Caci's class had 3 large bags of potting soil, but I had warned her that it would not be enough to fill her planter box. She would need to add some sand from a nearby sandpile and mix it with the potting soil. "No problem" was the response I think she muttered through the excited buzz coming from her students. I wanted to take some pictures of the event so I ran back to my office to retrieve my camera. I was "dumb struck" when I returned to the planting site. I could not believe my eyes. Was this really Caci, my niece?
She was directing a process that was designed to move sand from the sandpile and into her class planter box. Let me describe the scene...Her students (15-20) were scooping a shovel of sand into their teaspoon-size hand utensils, kinda walk-running about 15 yards to their planter box, dribbling sand along the way, then half-heartedly flinging what little sand might possibly have survived the trip into the air somewhere above the planter box. How much sand do you suppose actually made it into the box?
As I was standing there in disbelief, you can imagine the thoughts running through my "Templin" mind. First, I had to watch this process a few more seconds to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. And then I was thinking, "There's something wrong with this picture".... and... "I wonder if Caci actually thinks this is working..." and "I wonder if she is just "dumb-struck".... and "I'm not believing my eyes!!!"
I walk over as calmly and in control as possible and say to Caci, "Caci, there are some buckets over there that the other classes used to move some sand to their planter boxes. Would you like to use them?" HA!HA!HA!
Caci said, "I'm not very good at getting things to grow and maybe the tulips aren't going to do very well" Do ya think???? Where was Caci when it was time to pick the garden?
The tulips did bloom and were gorgeous!!!!!
The first week back to school in January after the Christmas break was my first glimpse of a Caci that I did not recognize as a member of our family. Let me explain...She and her class were preparing to plant tulip bulbs in her planter box as a part of a national study on the coming of Spring. Following the planting guidelines, Caci and her students went outside to fill their planter box with soil and plant their tulip bulbs. I had purchased several sets of gardening tools so that each student would have his own small hand shovel to use for the task. Caci's class had 3 large bags of potting soil, but I had warned her that it would not be enough to fill her planter box. She would need to add some sand from a nearby sandpile and mix it with the potting soil. "No problem" was the response I think she muttered through the excited buzz coming from her students. I wanted to take some pictures of the event so I ran back to my office to retrieve my camera. I was "dumb struck" when I returned to the planting site. I could not believe my eyes. Was this really Caci, my niece?
She was directing a process that was designed to move sand from the sandpile and into her class planter box. Let me describe the scene...Her students (15-20) were scooping a shovel of sand into their teaspoon-size hand utensils, kinda walk-running about 15 yards to their planter box, dribbling sand along the way, then half-heartedly flinging what little sand might possibly have survived the trip into the air somewhere above the planter box. How much sand do you suppose actually made it into the box?
As I was standing there in disbelief, you can imagine the thoughts running through my "Templin" mind. First, I had to watch this process a few more seconds to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. And then I was thinking, "There's something wrong with this picture".... and... "I wonder if Caci actually thinks this is working..." and "I wonder if she is just "dumb-struck".... and "I'm not believing my eyes!!!"
I walk over as calmly and in control as possible and say to Caci, "Caci, there are some buckets over there that the other classes used to move some sand to their planter boxes. Would you like to use them?" HA!HA!HA!
Caci said, "I'm not very good at getting things to grow and maybe the tulips aren't going to do very well" Do ya think???? Where was Caci when it was time to pick the garden?
The tulips did bloom and were gorgeous!!!!!
5 comments:
In my defense, I must say that my first concern of that day was which students would see the shovels as weapons instead of tools. Then came the "digging down 7 inches" (according to the directions given in the study) in the concrete hard, oven baked earth. As if that wasn't enough, it IS my job to lead my kids to a higher level of thinking, and I didn't want to just "give them the easy way out" first....I actually thought they would get tired of running back and forth and ask for a bucket, but you know what? I don't think they every get to run with dirtfuls of shovels at home, so it was great fun! Anyway, those tulips are the first thing I have planted and they did actually grow!! Thanks AP for the good laugh tonight about myself!! I needed that!
Hey Aunt Patti, thanks for the good laugh. I would love to hear more if you've got em'! Any on Windy?
Oh, and if you haven't already, go to my "mel-tells" blog to see the great pic of my mom. It really shows her true personality.
The Templin clan is definitely taking the blog world by storm. Welcome, Aunt Patti!
Ok, Ok I guess I will have to do this with much peer pressure. I saw my dear mom on here and I figured a story about me was coming soon so I am mainly coming early for my defense!
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