It is a specials time for me this week. Yes, I did mean to spell it that way. Monday I subbed for art in an elementary school and today I did music in middle school. This day was one of those times where I did the same lesson for all classes. Yes, that means all grades from 1st to 4th did the exact same thing. Why would they all do the same thing? Well, apparently Metra is sponsoring a safety poster contest and have done so for the last couple of years. Kids from kindergarten through high school make posters that have to deal with safety around trains. Each grade competes in their own contest so a 1st grader, for example, doesn’t have to go up against a middle schooler. Some of the posters from last year are really good. Too good in some cases I think. Check out this poster for example:
This looks like a fine 2nd or 3rd grade entry, but kindergarten? Hmm… The previous year’s kindergarten winner looks a bit more age-appropriate. So the kids got the details and started working on ideas for their posters, due in a short four months. Anyway, check out all the previous winners at:
2007-2008 Winners
2006-2007 Winners
Today as I wrote above I did music. This was a most enjoyable experience for me because I got to show videos for movie musicals. 6th grade got to see one of my favorites, Oliver! Well, the start of it. Having been in Oliver! I was really able to get into it with the kids and talk a little about it and my own experience. 8th grade was next and they continued watching Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. That’s right, the old one which in my opinion has the better Willy Wonka, played by Gene Wilder. No offense to Johnny Depp’s acting, but that interpretation of the character just didn’t work at all for me. Not much to say about this. They were engaged 8th graders, and that’s what was important. 😀 A couple in the second class asked if I could skip the songs. Let’s see now, the class is music and he wanted me to skip the music. I think you can guess what my answer was as we continued to listen to “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket.” 😈
Moving to 7th grade (last classes of the day and relevant to the topic title) we got to see the start of Singin’ in the Rain. I’ve never seen this before believe it or not. It is now on the reserve shelf at the library waiting for me to pick it so I can finish it since I saw only the first 35 minutes of it, twice. If you’ve seen this movie then you know there are some kissing scenes in it, several of them. I couldn’t believe it when one of the seventh grade classes had some boys going “ewww” during these scenes. I heard “cooties” as well, but to be fair this was probably a joke reaction to the ewws. I would expect this from 4th graders, but I would have supposed the sex education the kids get in public schools would have desensitized them to things like kissing. I guess not. I guess I learn something every day. 🙂
Check this Oliver Twist picture out (click image for larger version)- funny! 😀
Cooties are big with 7th grade boys. They are just figuring out what girls are, and want to be around them more, but it isn’t cool yet with the other guys.
I’ve had to explain the how guys think to four daughters, so I have a bit of insight. Made me try to remember my past and what the guys were like from grade to grade.
That and working around the school with 6th, 7th and 8th graders, trying to instill some astronomy knowledge, I had a first hand view for a few years.
It took me several years to watch Singin in the Rain as well. It is great!!! I love Donald O’Connor’s show stealing performance as Cosmo.” Make ‘Em Laugh.
And I also MUCH prefer Gene Wilder to Johnny Depp. Leave Johnny to the Pirates.
Aye, Cap’n Jack!
I’ve been around middle school a lot myself over the years and this is the first time I’ve ever heard this kind of reaction, but then again I am not regularly showing movies with heavy kissing. I guess the topic just hasn’t come up until now. :shrug:
Sex ed in health class, yes. Kissing, no… 😮