Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Unexpected Joys

Sometimes things in life just sneak up behind you and surprise you.  These are not the bad kind of surprises, but the good kind!  Yesterday while getting my hair shampooed by my hair dresser, I realized just how much I look forward to getting my hair cut.  I live for that 2 minute head massage, you know the one that puts you to sleep every time?!  The joy in short hair I have realized is being privileged to these wonderfully relaxing head massages once a month!  I never got my hair cut that much when it was long.  I love going in and just having someone else take care or me (well really my hair) for an hour, don't you?!


Today my students brought me great joy.  How did they do it you might be wondering.  It was not by showering me with gifts, or hugs, or compliments about how wonderful I am.  My heart melted when I saw how excited they got about our writing prompt.  Instantly every single student shouted with glee at the rush of ideas that came to their little brains.  I have never seen them get working so quickly or work so diligently on a list or web for a writing assignment.  I felt great pride as a teacher as they were beaming with excitement and their pencils were racing across their pages.

The prompt they were so excited about is "I know the house on the corner is haunted because..."  I loved hearing them describe to me the things I would hear, feel or see if I were in their haunted house.  In their houses I would hear the floor creak beneath my feet, feel a spider race down my arm, smell dust as it filled my nose, and hear the eerie hoot of an owl.  Oh did I mention that there may be some human soup, and that blood-sucking vampires warm these haunted houses?  Of course I had to set the mood by playing some Halloween music.  I can't wait to read their final copies.

Feel free to your thoughts on how you know the house on the corner is haunted!!!!
Photobucket

3 comments:

  1. You are such a great teacher Steph! I wish I had had someone like you when I was in school!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I LOVED doing writing prompts when I was in school. And I LOVE Halloween. What a perfect writing prompt. Here's mine:

    I know the house on the corner is haunted because every day I see a witch outside sweeping her sidewalk. (True story? maybe...)

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're so cute! Your students are lucky to have a teacher like you. By the way, I LOVE getting my hair cut. It's like you have a personal stylist for that little bit of time :-).

    ReplyDelete