end of the year comedy

Seth, learning how to manage and express his emotions, is shaking his back like a wet dog, crying out in a whiny voice, ''Ooooouuucccchhh!  My sunburn!!  Teacher, my sunburn huuurrrts!''  Mr. Garcia and I look at each other.

''Why don't you go run your hands under some cold water?''  I say, ever the expert on pseudo-cures for six-year-olds.

''Yeah Seth, try that,'' Mr. Garcia adds.  ''You'll need to keep them there.''

''Can you feel that?  Does that help?''  Seth has been making mewing sounds, and now nods sadly.  Sunburn solved!
                                   

In my phonics group, I scrawl down these awfully ridiculous example sentences:

''Grafton's fondness for lavishly frosted snacks evidently impacts his trimness.''

''Astonishingly, when what my dad called 'that shifty bunch of vagabonds' disbanded, they left the encampment spotless and well-stocked.''

before asking my first-language-Spanish kiddos, ''Do you know what these sentences mean?''
''No,'' they tell me flatly.  Well, frankly, probably the first-language-English students wouldn't either.
                                   

Sweet Virginia writes me great spelling word sentences: 

''My life is incretabol becuse I am a soring egol.'' 

''I have seen spraut and a sow cold poppycat.''

That's, ''My life is incredible because I am a Soaring Eagle [a Blue Ridge honor],'' and ''I have seen Sprout and a show called Poppy Cat'' [both, apparently, PBS shows].  

                                  

And on a small quiz, when asked who is the president of the United States, my high group responded with, 

Araceli: mr oboma

Seth: presdnit obama 

and Sirgio: michael odama

Yep, gonna miss these kids like crazy.