Can I Take That Back?

So, I'm a very off-the-cuff kind of person. Typically this is a good thing - I like thinking on my feet because it allows me to read the situation, the students, and the classroom a little bit more easily. But sometimes - just sometimes - it gets me in some serious trouble.

We're writing narratives. Yay. So fun. My mentor teacher encouraged me to write with them (which I was doing anyway because I LOVE it) but he also encouraged me to write about my experiences in middle school. To make myself more human to them, more relatable I suppose.

Well we had a prompt about our most embarrassing stories and mine just happened to be from middle school. I thought it would be perfect. Of course.

Here's the beginning of my narrative that I wrote with the class:

The Puddle of Shame

         I raised up my arms -- the volleyball was out-of-bounds. The crowd roared at me with disappointment at the call, but I couldn’t hear them. The only thing I heard was my pulse drumming in my ears.

         I’m never going to make it, I thought. My game’s after this and there’s just no time!

         My feet did a dance beneath me and my legs tightened. The pressure was unbearable.

I'll just let you imagine where it goes from there...

It was a nice example to stress the difference between "showing" and "telling" in a narrative, but it was probably the worst example I could have chosen.

My 7th graders? Ate it up. Laughed until they peed. I couldn't wipe the smile off of their faces.

My 8th graders? Less than pleased. I had one period reply, "Mrs. Brown, you're disgusting" after I finished my story. I mostly got oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-my-teacher-had-an-accident-when-she-was-in-seventh-grade kind of looks.

My rep with them? Totally gone. Swirling down the drain of shame.

Don't ask me how to get it back. I'm working on it though. Mostly by displays of power. If they are going to laugh and make fun of me while I'm trying to get their attention, they'll owe me all of that time. That usually gets them quiet. But it's Wednesday and I'm already dreading the story that will spread around the school about Mrs. Brown. Oh well. Remember that island that I'm building where I'm in charge of who stays and who goes? Right now, those 8th graders can take a tug boat outta here, because I'm not going to let it ruin my day. I just know now not to use my most embarrassing stories. Definitely TMI.

But, it was a great day. I went to the library to schedule one of the computer labs for next week (when we'll be creating the final drafts of our narratives). The librarian was surprised to hear from me. She said, "Wow, you must be a planner. No one else schedules labs that far in advance. They usually tell me a day or two before! Way to go."

Yeah. I'm a planner. (NOT). I have been feeling like this week has been just one day at a time, adjusting and reevaluating after each day, making future plans more difficult to establish, of course. However, I'm feeling good. Is everything going to go according to plan? No. But I have one, and I'm ready for whatever gets thrown at me!