Unclear on the Concept

I was talking to a student about the gifts she got for Christmas on the day we returned from winter break. Phillip walked up on the conversation:

PHILLIP: (Smiling as usual) I didn't get to celebrate Christmas.
MR. BOWERS: What? I thought you said your mom was a Christian.
PHILLIP: She is.
MR. BOWERS: Well, did y'all go to church on Christmas day?
PHILLIP: Yes.
MR. BOWERS: Well, then you celebrated Christmas.

Jake

Jake is my next door neighbor's kid. He's in 1st grade. His aunt and uncle gave him coal in his stocking for Christmas as a joke--but the joke was on them when he saw it. He said, "Ohhh, just what I wanted to start fires and stuff!"

The REAL Snow Day Video

What a difference a song makes. Now the Music teacher edited her snow day video to fit the trailer park.

The Magic Mirror

I got a mirror from the Pre-K teacher to put in my room. It is made from safety glass so the reflection is a little skewed. Most of the time, the mirror can make you look skinnier that you actually are. Now teachers from all over campus are lining up to see themselves in it.

High Speed Chase

Today, just before the dismissal bell, we had a high-speed police chase go through our school zone! There was a black car followed by three police cruisers with their sirens blaring and lights flashing. I would say they were all going at least 50 mph. Luckily, they missed the school bell by about three minutes. It could have been ugly if all the kids were out there crossing the street.

I saw it and it scared me so much--my heart is still pounding. Although, the little boy in me says, "That was pretty sweet."

Never Seen Snow

Here in Houston, we don't get much snow. Some of the little kids at our school have NEVER seen snow. You can tell by this video that our music teacher made on the day it snowed. The video starts right outside my door out here in the "trailer park."

Here's the video!

Warning:

Do not read this if you are squeamish.

With the 5th graders we were doing a musical called, "Yo Leonardo". Brijanna was on stage getting ready to do her part and I was next to her, but in the off-stage wings. She turned to me and said, with a grumpy face, "Mr. Bowers, my stomach hurts." I responded, "Well, do you want the audience to know that? Get it together!"

At that moment, I realized by the look on her face that there was more than a stomach ache happening here. She starts to throw up. She tries to catch it in her hands. It spews. I call her off stage. She comes to me holding a handful of pineapple bits. The show continues with the rest of her barf on stage. Everyone dances around the barf. The janitor says that she is too shy to go onstage during the show and sprinkle the magic disappearing puke powder on the barf, so I got to be the one to do it. I get a laugh from the audience.

The show must go on!

Too Exciting

Last week, with kindergarten, I used the puppets to tell the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I guess it was too exciting because one of the boys wet himself. This week I used the puppets to tell the story of the Three Pigs and a little girl wet herself. I take it as a compliment. I'm just too exciting. I have one more set of puppets that I can use to tell the story of the Three Bears. I'm gonna make sure they have all gone to the restroom before I tell the story.

UIL One Act Play Festival at HSPVA

High School For The Performing and Visual Arts hosted it. Writen and Directed by Mr. Bowers:

The Stone Cutter

Two New Brothers

CHRISTINE (kindergarten): Mr. Bowers, look, I got two new brothers!

I look and see that both of her big brothers have their heads completely shaven!

MR. BOWERS: Who cut your two brother's hair?
CHRISTINE: My dad.
MR. BOWERS: Were they in trouble or something?

Keyden the Salesman

So today, I went next door to the Music room to check on Keyden and the whole class was up in arms because Keyden brought a bunch of bags of chips and was trying to sell them! He was mad and saying that he didn't need any friends and that he hated his class. I tried to talk to him, but he was too upset.

After school, I met his older sister and talked to her about all that had gone on. She said she would talk to him and try to figure it out. (sigh).

Keyden-2nd Grade

The 2nd grade class came into my room bearing a new student--Keyden--and before I could even get to him to shake his hand, several of his new classmates were shouting out about how bad he is and what he has done to them over the past two days. I'm totally ignoring them trying to get past. I finally reached him and asked for a handshake:

MR. BOWERS: Hey, I'm Mr. Bowers...come on in, give me a good handshake. (He doesn't squeeze at all.) Alright, now squeeze. (Gives a little squeeze.) Come on, now, you don't want me to think you're a weak little kid, you want to tell me that you're a strong CHILD. (now he really squeezes and we have exchanged an awesome handshake.) What's your name?
KEYDEN: Keyden.

We all come in and sit down, his classmates are now raising their hands, again, trying to tell me how bad he is. I am still ignoring what they are saying. Keyden is just sitting there ignoring them as well, we keep talking:

MR. BOWERS: What school did you come from?
KEYDEN: Piney Point.
MR. BOWERS: Do they have a Drama Class at your old school?
KEYDEN: No.
MR. BOWERS: Well, here we have Drama, Music, Art, Computer, Science, Library, P.E. and Math Lab. Can you believe it! You're gonna love it here.

The kids are still trying desperately to get my attention.

MR. BOWERS: Aren't they bothering you? Have you ever been bothered? You know, like do you have a little brother that bothers you or anything like that?
KEYDEN: My little brother died.

Now all of the kids are, of course, silent.

MR. BOWERS: I am so sorry. Y'all, aren't you sorry that happened to Keyden?

The kids all offer their own apologies, then we quietly move on with the lesson. Keyden participated and was a really nice kid. At the end of class, I asked him if he wanted the class to give him a new start, he did. I asked for it and they all graciously agreed. I talked to his teacher and he said that he has been fine for him and in fact thought the rest of the class had been a little rough on Keyden.

They come to Music next door tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it's going. Those crazy 2nd graders--they are right in a stage of their lives that allow them to be really, really sweet to each other and really, really mean.

No Halloween

Phillip is in 5th grade and is on patrol at my morning duty spot in the back courtyard. He already confessed to me that he has only eaten at McDonald's once because his mom is a health nut. He smiles ALL THE TIME, even during this conversation Monday morning:)

PHILLIP: I haven't ever been Trick-or-treating.
MR. BOWERS: Why not?
PHILLIP: My mom's reeeal :) Christian. She says it's the Devil's birthday. :)
MR. BOWERS: What about your dad?
PHILLIP: He doesn't care, he's always on the computer. :)
MR. BOWERS: You need to convince your parents to take you to the store the day after Halloween when the candy's cheap and let you have at it. :) (Then I remembered about the "only eating at McDonald's once" thing) Or not.
PHILLIP: :(

When the kids start asking me if I'm going "trigger-treating" I always tell them, "Yes." Then they usually tell me I'm too old, to which I ALWAYS say, "You're never too old for free candy."

The Old Man

I was talking to my dad a while back...

MR. BOWERS: Hey, Dad, remember when I was little, you would tell me that I would get a whoopin' if I got anything less than a "C" on my report card? Why didn't you tell me I would get a whoopin' for anything less than an "A"? Think how much smarter I would have been!

MR. BOWERS' DAD: Well, then you would've been smarter than me!

You're Eating Your Shirt?

One of the Pre-K kids was walking into my drama class and his sleeve was soaked all the way to his elbow from him chewing on it all day.

I said to him, "Oh, you're eating your shirt? Hold on a minute..." Then I ran inside and grabbed the lemon pepper seasoning that I put on salads and came back out and sprinkled some on his sleeve, "...here you go"

He just looked at me with thanks in his eyes and ran into the room.

Then Coach Reid, who was standing by my door, says, "I don't know how you keep from getting fired."

Jack-O-What?

We were doing the "5 Little Pumpkins" song with the Pre-Kinder kids and the Music teacher asked, "What would you call pumpkin that has a face carved in it?" One of the Pre-K kids shouted out, "A pumpkin basket!" Another corrected him, "No, a Halloween basket!"

SLOW DOWN!

It's a sidewalk--not a siderun.


STOP CLIMBING ON THE PORCH RAILING!

If the principal sees you, he's gonna tear down the playground! He'll be like, "Saaay, the kids really love climbing on the rails...we should tear down that useless playground and build a parking lot!"

STOP SWINGING ON THE POLE!

If you wanna swing on the poles, you have to come up here on Saturday or Sunday--that is if you can get a pole, there's so many kids up here swinging on the poles on Saturday and Sunday--you should see it!


That's life out here in the trailer park.

Mom of the Year

After school today...

JESSICA (2nd grade): Mr. Bowers, my mom and dad said that they are gonna sell Lilly (kindergarten sister).
MR. BOWERS: Why's that?
JESSICA: Because she's not being good in school.

Mom walks up right on cue.

MR. BOWERS: Hey, I hear that you're gonna sell Lilly.
MOM: That's right!

Scenes From the Past

OK, so, this one's kinda sad.

With the 5th graders, I am working on emotions. First, I share with the kids an emotional experience from my childhood, and then I call for volunteers to come up and re-create the scene. It's nothing too serious, just a moment of embarrassment or something. Then, I ask for volunteers to share their stories and get kids to recreate the scene while they direct.

Oscar recalled the time when his grandpa woke up in the middle of the night coughing and ended up dying right there in front of him and his dad. I didn't want to have him use that as a scene, but he insisted. He said it happened a long time ago--even before his little sister was born. She is 5 years old now, so, at least 5 years ago.

Jones, Izar and Laura played in the scene as grandpa, dad and little Oscar. They worked so well with Oscar as the director, they really acted their parts with tenderness and seriousness--it was a beautiful scene. I encouraged Oscar to write down the scene and maybe make a play out of it.

All this before 10am. Heavy.

Perla

Perla was in 3rd grade when I started teaching. Now she is in college at Sam Houston State in Huntsville, TX.

She came back to see us and I recognized her immediately. She's making us all proud and becoming a U.S. Marshall! I hope I never see her again--unless she's coming to rescue me or something.

I'm Not Mad

I get really bothered when I am teaching something and kids won't stop talking and listen! Finally, I just had to say, "I'm not mad at the kids who are talking while I am teaching, I'm mad at the kids who are listening to those talkers instead of me! If someone tries to talk to you while I am teaching, just shake your head, no, and point to me to show them where they should be focusing."

Trust

With the first grade, I was doing a trust activity where one student leads another around the classroom and the one being led has to keep their eyes closed. Right in the middle of the activity, Aaron comes up to me shouting, "Mr. Bowers, Mr. Bowers!"

I notice Aaron is by himself so I ring the bell to stop the activity and I notice his partner across the room, just about to run into the wall! I say, "Aaron! Where is your partner? You are NOT showing responsibility! You have lost the TRUST of your partner! Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Aaron said, "I think my partner is peeking."

But Why?

Because every other child you see has NEVER BEEN an adult. However, EVERY adult you see has once been a child. They all made it through childhood--they all survived.

If I am traveling to the jungle, I want to talk to someone who has been through the jungle. I want to know which snakes are poisonous, what to bring, how to climb...the adults in your life are helping you get ready for your trip to being an adult.

That's why you must respect adults.

First Grade Rhyme

H is for hippo, who is so big and FAT if one should ever sit on you, he would squish you____?

VICTOR: Like a tortilla?

Kinder Jokester

I learned the name of the kindergarten girl who told the pirate joke the other day. Here's how I found out:

"Most people with my name spell it S-o-p-h-i-e, but my parents figured out a better way to spell it; S-o-f-i-e."

Then, later, I was telling the kids that they could impress their parents by saying "perspire" instead of "sweat." To this, Sofie replied:

"That won't impress my parents, my dad screams like a college girl when he sees a spider!"

Magic Box

Each year with the kindergarteners I do a Drama game called "Magic Box." I take an ordinary box and pretend to pull something from it and act if it is real, by using pantomime. The kids each get to take a turn and they love it.

Today, we had just finished the game and the kids were lining up to leave. It was raining outside and I was telling the kids to stay on the sidewalk and listen to the raindrops as they walked. Angel was the last one to walk out, and as he passed the magic box, he reached in and pulled out an imaginary umbrella and opened it up. I about lost it, it was the cutest thing EVER!

Kinder Pirate Joke

You know, I haven't learned all the kindergartners' names yet, but one of the girls told us a joke today:

Q: Where does a pirate like to eat?
A: Aaarrrrby's

The New Walk

We were doing our warm-ups in Drama class today. The particular stretch has you touching your left hand to your right toe, out in front of your body, then your right hand to your left toe, out in front of your body. I decided to make it look like i was walking in place. Here's what spilled out of my mouth:

If you feel like a stranger is watching you walk home, then walk like this and the stranger will leave you alone because you'll be stranger than a stranger!

I Vow...

...to stop complaining about all of the changes that have occurred at my school. Although I haven't complained publicly--with my co-workers, I feel I have been kinda vocal. Not the loud complaints, but the subtle, comedic type. Sure, they crack people up, but I've realized that they could be kinda like a cancer to my school.

Since I teach all of the kids, I know all of the teachers. By pointing out the problems that I have with the changes, I think many of the other teachers are getting lower spirits as well.

I think that if I accept the changes and keep a positive attitude like I usually do, I can save the school!

I vow no be 100% positive at school and work hard!

(either that, or I vow to accept that it's not all about me.) ;)

((although I will secretly know that it is.))

Who is Your Sister?

Melanie, a brand new kindergartener in Drama, said to me, "My sister was right, you ARE crazy!"

Sniff It

I was talking to the kindergarteners about their 5 senses:

MR. BOWERS: Your senses can help you be safe. You know, so like when you SEE a glass with something in it that LOOKS like water, or soda, you shouldn't just drink it--you should SMELL it first and make sure it's safe. You know, it could be something *dangerous.
RAMAN: Like a "dult-drink!"


*My older brother drank gasoline out of a coke bottle when he was 3. He survived, but his brain doesn't work right--at least in my opinion. ;)

Medicine

I was talking to Chinoso (5th grade) after school today.

CHINOSO: Man, I'm worried about Mr. Kemp, he used to be in the military, I'll bet he's gonna be tough!
MR. BOWERS: Well, just think about going to his class like taking medicine, it'll make you stronger.
CHINOSO: Mr. Bowers, isn't that steroids?

Kindergarten Advice

One of the PE teachers at our school is switching to teach Kindergarten this year. I stopped by to offer some advice:

When you tell the kids to come in the room, tell them to "sneak up on their chairs" and they will enter quietly.

Remember, you are not the teacher, you're just the kid who gets to be in charge.

Try to act extra excited about stuff, like, you know, if you want them to pick up a piece of trash, you can say, "Wow! That is a really cool piece of trash! Who wants to be the one to pick it up?"

I Vanish

Many times a kid trying to tattle will come up to me and say, "Mr. Bowers, he was doing..." and when they get to the word "he" they turn away from me and point to the other kid across the room and I never hear the rest of what "he" did. I will ask them to tell me again, and the same thing happens! I never get to find out what the other kid did. Finally, I came up with a solution to this problem:

As soon as the kid turns away from me to point, I will sneak off and hide. Then I will watch the look on the kids face as he turns back around and discovers that Mr. Bowers has disappeared!

Almost Back

MRS. BOWERS: I've got that "mini-buffalo-ranch-chicken-sandwich" song stuck in my head.

MR. BOWERS: Hey, that's better than having the "mini-buffalo-ranch-chicken-sandwich" DANCE stuck in your body!


My wife has had to put up with these kind of wise cracks all summer. I realize that, no matter how much I want summer to continue, there are millions of parents and spouses that can't wait for it to end. I really have enjoyed my time away from kids. I was able to cuss, spit, wear flip-flops and tank tops. I am refreshed, my tolerance is back up and I am ready to get back to teaching.

Oh, wait...i still have to build up my bladder endurance.

Oh yeah, if you're in Houston, come check out the show I'm in, but leave the kids at home! It open tonight and runs through August 29th.

The King of Radio

The Summer when Michael Jackson toured the Thriller album( i think), my older brother Paul and I were in the middle of the Texas Panhandle working our Dad's farm. We played this game where every time we started the truck we would try to guess the song that was going to be playing on the radio.

We decided to change the rules of the game. Now we had to guess which Michael Jackson song would be playing when we started the truck. It's kinda like that, now.

I don't mind a bit...although I am sad it had to be because of his passing.



Stevie Wonder: “We need Michael here with us, God must have needed him more.”

Dadism

dadism: (dad-ism) something my dad used to say when i was a kid.



Usually, my dad would refer to any type of sport as, "squat tag". He would say things like, "Did you have that, uh, squat tag practice today?" or, "What are you watchin? Squat tag?"

I just found out that squat tag, besides being a kids* game, is also slang for going out in the woods to use the bathroom.

I get it now!

That's pretty funny, Dad!


*Squat Tag-There are many, many tag games in existence. One of the more popular ones is Squat Tag. In this game, children can avoid being tagged by squatting whenever "IT" is about to pounce. Each child is allowed only three squats. After using up the three squats, the child must depend on his/her running and dodging ability to escape.

I Couldn't Resist

I was tubing on the Guadalupe River this weekend (yes, I'm enjoying my summer vacation, thank you.) and floated by a father and son (aprox. 8yrs old) playing tag, and for some reason they were arguing about whether the boy was a kid or a man because the dad was acting like a monster that chased kids.

DAD: ARRRRGHHH! I'M GONNA GIT ME A KID!
SON: I'M NOT A KID--I'M A MAN!
DAD: NO! You're a kid and i'm comin' for you!
SON: Unh, unh, I'm a man! I'm not a kid! aaaggghhh!

I couldn't resist:

MR. BOWERS: If' you're a man, then where is your mustache?


SON: IT FELL IN THE RIVER! IT FELL IN THE RIVER!! I'M A MAN, I PROMISE!

And The Winner Is:

Dartmouth!

My Kindergardeners Are Going to College

I guess I'm gettin' old. The kids who just graduated high school were in kindergarten when I started teaching at this school. Three kids sent me invitations so I went to the graduation ceremony. I got to see about 15 of my former students and all of them are going to college. Some of them I hadn't seen since they left my school in 4th grade. It was pretty bizaar.

WooHoo!

Don't I Feel Special

I just got this sweet email from Elena's mom after the 5th grade graduation:

I had to tell you this. I caught Elena crying while the 5th graders were singing "I'm ready to go" this morning. She pulled it together, but then she just lost it on the way out the door. Then she said, "Well, at least I didn't have to say good bye to Mr. Bowers. That would have killed me." I thought you should know. -Ruth

I can't believe I didn't get a chance to see her when she left--oh well, she'll be back, she has two sisters that are gonna be in 1st grade and kinder next year!

Hair Cut

MR. BOWERS: Hey Kamaal, nice hair cut.

KAMAAL(kindergarden): It's not a hair cut--it's a touch-up.

More Thanks a Lot

I was just sitting at my desk and looked up and saw a sign stuck above it that the kids left:

PLEASE, Clean me once a week!
Thank You!


Those darn kids!

Thanks a Lot!

Today, the Drama Club had a performance in my room at 5:30pm. Last week I told the kids in Drama Club that they could stay after school and help me get everything set up because I wanted my room to look nice for the parents. They all started cleaning my bookshelves and my desk and everything. I guess my room was pretty messy because at one point, Avery said, "Wow, Mr. Bowers--you should have let us help out a long time ago!" Then Rachel picked up my bottle of cleaning solution and said, "Man! This bottle is still full!"

oops.

The music teacher wanted me to video the 2nd grade concert. I didn't know she wanted it to be a beautiful video, I thought it was just for showing the kids later. I didn't know that she was going to offer the videos up for sale to the parents!

Oops.

Instead of always going close-up on the kids who were singing beautify, I zoomed in on the ones who were lost in their own world; the ones who didn't know the songs and wished they weren't there; the ones who saw someone they knew in the crowd and started waving; the ones who were doing the wrong movements to the songs, or not doing them at all.

Now, dont' get me wrong, I got tons of shots of great kids doing fantastic--'cuz that's how we roll at our school. Most of our kids are super, but the ones that aren't are pretty entertaining. I figured this way we could also show the kids "what not to do" in the concerts. I think the music teacher will appreciate this more in the future--I don't think the parents will, though. Oops.

I Made Up a Joke

What do you call a T-Rex who can predict the weather?


A Meat-eater-ologist!





I know...stick to my day job.

He Sleeps Like A Wrestler

Today the kindergardeners were dressed in their pajamas for some reason or another. Anyway, Jarrell wasn't wearing any pajamas, just his regular clothes. I asked him why he wasn't participating. Here is his response:

You know how those wrestlers fight in their underwear? That's how I sleep.

Logical

I just want to point out one of the neat things about being a teacher--there's a track at my job for me to exercise on after lunch! Well, today I was out walking the track with some 1st graders during their recess:


JALAILA: Mr. Bowers, are you chewing bubble gum?
MR. BOWERS: Yeah, I'm chewing gum because I just ate lunch and I'm still hungry and I heard that chewing gum would help. It's not working, though, because I'm still hungry.
CHRYSTAL: You should eat some chicken nuggets.

Blow-up Guitar

Last night we presented our annual production of "Yo Leonardo" which is a musical celebration of famous artists. At one point in the show, two kids come out with these inflatable guitars and jam out. Jacob was one of those kids:

JACOB: Hey, Mr. Bowers, can I keep the guitar after the show?
MR. BOWERS: Well, we need the guitars for the kids to use next year.
JACOB: But, I put my mouth on it when I was blowing it up.
MR. BOWERS: That's OK, so did the kid who used it last year!


HA! TAKE THAT, SWINE FLU!

Clara Got A Mosquito Bite On Her Face

CLARA (kindergarden): My mom had to put calamari lotion on my face.