What am I?

One of my kids asked me today if I was a "prep". I thought she meant when I was in high school and I said I certainly was not and she wanted to know if I was now. I said "nope" again and she said, "I didn't think you were a prep." First, I know there are things to NOT ask so no way did I want to hear WHY she thought I wasn't. Then she wanted to know what I WAS. I told her I was a nerd. She then told me I wasn't a nerd because I wasn't any good at math; she speaks the truth and I had to giggle. There was a boy student listening to this exchange and he turned around and grinned at me and told the girl, "Ms. O is a nerd but in English, science, reading and social studies. She's totally a nerd." And all the other kids were nodding their agreement. I had to laugh, because in-spite of myself, the boy is SO right- I'm a nerd.

How many people keep track of how many books they read in a year? I think it's sort of nerdy. And I do go on and on and on about how much I love books and reading and words. I don't just extol the virtues of my bibliophile-ness here in Bloggerville, but I do it at school as well. (Hey, so sue me that I want the kids to get excited about reading!)

And I have to admit that I LIKE being in an 8th grade science class. We have a super neat teacher; she's young and has a great deal of energy. She respects kids, and she believes in making learning fun, so in both regards she and I have similar teaching styles. She does make the kids take notes (sometimes), write essays (sometimes), and do worksheets (sometimes) but she tries her best to make science interesting, even though she has about $100 in her budget and 150 kids. Just last week alone, the kids made crystals and made flubber (it's amazing what you can do with Borax!!!). I was excited to go today to see if the crystals would turn out and some did and some didn't. So she made the "failures" a learning experience by hypothesizing about the experience. She lets them talk and interact. She is a good teacher. And I'm excited to be in her room twice a day just to see what's gonna happen next. I didn't enjoy science when I was in school so I have to say this is exciting to me- I'm learning with them and it's hands on. I even wanted to show Mac how to make flubber over the weekend; he wasn't not as excited about the prospect as I... yeah, a totally nerdy thing to say, I know!

I also sit in an 8th grade social studies class each day. First, I want to say I like the teacher; he is a very nice person. He also has an interesting background as to what led him to teaching as a second career. That being said... he isn't the most exciting classroom teacher ever. He's a bit monotoned and he has a speech impediment so sometimes it's rough in that classroom. BUT he TRIES. I will say that. He might not make it as interesting as it could be, but he TRIES. And he welcomes discussion among the kids. And I just LOVE history (I have as many history college credits as I do English credits and almost became a History teacher!) so I enjoy this class. I do learn things in that class, while at times I'm also having my memory refreshed of what I knew but forgot. I love the learning!

So, I guess when the kids talk about me being a nerd, it's true. What I find to be interesting about it all, is when they said I was a nerd, they said it with pride, and they weren't being mean. They think it's cool I like to learn and I try to share my love with them. Does it make me a bit nerdy and geeky at times? Sure... but the kids like me anyway, and sometimes, that all it takes to get them to learn. I can be labeled a nerd for the good of the cause!

But back to the discussion about me being a prep or a nerd. Guess what they finally decided I was? A teacher.............................

Geek Girl,
Maggie Mae