Oops. I mean, BINGO! I whipped up this Bingo center for our Valentine’s Day Party tomorrow. I say whipped up, but I really mean I neglected it a lot as I blog stalked, became one with my reality TV peeps, and read from the three books I am reading. Oh, and I may have completed my report cards during this time, too. Minus one reading comprehension grade that I will have to enter AFTER I do one more running record on a kid that was absent recently and then I forgot about him. Don’t judge. I forget kids all the time. It’s the sheer number of them. It doesn’t reflect on me in the slightest.
The other day, my assistant principal called me after lunch to ask me if I was missing something. Let’s see here. Hmmm. I was missing the real housewives of Orange County but they just recently came back into my life. So it’s not that. And I was missing Parenthood but it finally came back on after leaving for no good reason. Hmmm. I really miss being able to do all of the fun learning things that I used to be able to do before the Curriculum Cops were given their shiny new badges and started patrolling these here parts. Is that it?
Well, I was zero for three.
I was missing a student. A live boy. Human.
A quiet boy. So how was I supposed to know?
And why didn’t his friends clue me in?
(Turns out Assistant Principal took him from the playground to her office and did not tell me until the phone call. I do not see how I could have been missing him if he was still on school property and with an authority figure. Right? Right?)
It’s 9:00. Do you know where your friends are? I do. Mine are on the web or watching The Jersey Shore. So there.
I apparently just got distracted very easily right then. I may be experiencing some over-dose effects from the Math Pills I took today.
Where was I? Oh, that’s right. I made Bingo. For Valentine’s Day. It is the most un-academic thing I’ve ever seen. There are no words. Literally. No words. Just pictures. But it’s for one of our PARTY centers. It’s for a PARTY. So please don’t call the Curriculum Cops on me. I just got off probation for that last art project I did.
Bingo
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We are off on Monday (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) for George or Abe and then we also get the following Monday off for either George or Abe. What a relief. My kids are not acting very valentine-y valentine-ee loving towards one another.
I’m laughing as I write it. And I did laugh. I may have howled. He is very literal. And it was quite literally what was happening in our room. Crying. Out Loud.
Everyone had a good laugh. Even the drama girls. Wipe tears, get to gluing, and let’s move on, shall we? Or better yet, let’s pack up and read Junie B. I don’t know how I planned it this way (I read the books in order – it is a MUST, in my opinion) but we just started The Mushy Gushy Valentine. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 Now that’s good timing. It’s the little things.
So I hope someone can use this Bingo. Maybe with your infant child?
And have you ever lost a kid? Wait. I didn’t LOSE him. Let’s rephrase. Have you ever had a kid go “missing”? Yes, that sounds better. Have you ever had a kid go missing?
Whenever I walk the kids to a special, I always come back to the room and find a few kids just chilling in the room still……. it is pretty annoying!! So I temporarily misplace kids… but for no longer than 30 seconds at a time. 🙂
seriously cracking up …. tears… FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! I can just picture it.
Yep, I've had a kid with autism go missing. SCARED ME TO DEATH. Went to the bathroom and never came back. I've also come back after lunch and about 30 minutes later realized that a kid was missing. Turned out the kid went home… but I never noticed that he wasn't even there. There are simply toooo many of them!
ok… I've re-read the crying out loud thing 3 times…. tooooooo freakin' funny.
My kids have been very un-valentiney to each other, too. Looking forward to the 3 days.
Happy Friday my hilarious friend!
❤ Dragonflies in First ❤
I am obsessive about counting my kiddos because of something I that happened when I was observing in a pre-k school. The teacher had left for an appointment or some such and the assistant took the kids to recess, then rounded them all up, counted them, brought them inside and proceeded with the rest of the day. It was over 40 minutes later (FORTY!) that parents started pulling up outside, ready to pick up their children at the end of the day, only to see 2 young scamps on the playground by themselves. Seems that they had lined up, gotten counted, and then slipped away when the assistant turned to lead the class into the school. Needless to say the parents were not thrilled to see unsupervised 4 year olds on the playground!
So, I count my kiddos ALL THE TIME now. It just might be an obsession. I count when we line up, then I stand in the doorway and count as they leave the room, then we stop 1/2 way to our destination to let all our stragglers catch up and I count again. (I don't know how 20 children can spread a line out to 40 feet long, but somehow mine always manage, especially if we have to round a corner!)When we get to our destination I stand in the doorway and recount as they walk in. Sometimes I even do a headcount while we're at our tables in the classroom!
So, no, I have never lost a child, but I have lost my mind from excessive counting. It's particularly bad when I have to factor in absences, tutoring and speech pull outs plus appointments. Trying to do all that mental math gives me a headache!
Jennifer @ Heridng Kats In Kindergarten
Kristin,
Well … years ago when I was new to first grade I had a boy tell me he didn't feel good and needed to go home. (His mother had clued me in earlier that he wasn't really sick.) I said no and he was NOT happy with me. A little while later he asked if he could go to the bathroom. I FOOLISHLY said yes. BAD TEACHER!!!! BIG MISTAKE!!!! After the boy was gone for a little too long, I got a sick feeling in my stomach. (Maybe I should have gone home sick at that point!!!) I sent another boy to check the bathroom – it was empty. So I called the office and said, "I think one of my students just walked home." The secretary laughed and said that was impossible. I begged her to call the boy's mom and alert her. She relunctantly did that (after doing a quick search of the campus and realizing the boy was really no longer at school) and just as the mom picked up the phone, the boy walked in the door. The mom (bless her heart) told the boy he was in BIG trouble, immediately put him in her truck and brought him back to school and told him to stay.
So I guess technically I never "lost" a child because I knew right where he was. BUT he was not where he was supposed to be. He left the campus and walked home. He didn't live far, but did have to cross a very busy street to get home and he was only five years old.
So don't you dare beat yourself up … we have ALL had those missing/lost children.
Lots of love to you,
Camille
An Open Door
P.S. Your last post on The Bechelor was MUCH better than the actual episode. I am starting to like all the women who are left (oh, except one, but that goes without saying, right???). But I cannot figure out what they see in HIM? The women seem nice and fun and funny. Really, what do they see in HIM?????
*the kid went home sick, with permission, from the office. His mom picked him up! He didn't just leave and go home. hahaha Thought it was important to add that. 😀
Oh man Traci … my child DID just leave and go home. Maybe what happened to me IS THE W.O.R.S.T. EVER!!! Sigh.
Camille
An Open Door
Oh my goodness…I cannot tell you the number of times I have lost a kid this year. One little guy now has to use the bathroom in the nurses office because he was often turning up missing (a. he takes a long time to use the facilities, b. he sometimes gets stuck, ie can't get the toilet paper to come out of those little square boxes that give you one sheet at a time or his pants get too wet, yes he did take them all the way off to go). At least twice I have had a kinder kid walk into the music room (instead of turning the corner once and another got mixed into a class heading to music on his way back from the bathroom)and stay. Both times no one in the class mentioned to the music teacher that there was an extra kid in class. Now when I call down to the office for help looking they just laugh. Why all the kids who tend to get lost ended up in my class I don't know. No one else seems to loose students.
PS kudos for getting sneaky with those Curriculum Cops. It's always been my opinion that you can make anything fit the standards if you are creative enough.
Terri
tizatt@ecsdnv.net
Several years ago, we were on the way back to the classroom from the cafeteria when I realized that one of my little guys was missing! I went into panic-mode. I searched for ten minutes then got up the nerve to go tell my principal. It turns out the secretary got him from lunch because his parents were there to pick him up and didn't bother to tell me!
-Megan
First Grade Magic
One day a kid was missing from school. EVERY adult was panickily (word?) looking for him (closets where he couldn't fit in one piece due to shelves, vents (really? I know squirrels go there), outside (it's a big world, after all). Anyhoo, the principal finally got up enough nerve to walk to the kid's house and tell his mother. Little Johnny was home! And the mom didn't call the school to let us know AND she was mad. "Why did the kid come home?" asked the relieved principal. Mom: "He said he wasn't learning nothing. There was a pros-titute teaching." Principal: "That was a sub-stitute. Her husband is my preacher."
ok, so I've never had a kid go missing, well, besides still being on the playground but he came in like 2 minutes later…BUT this year, our teammate (I say that in as loose of a term as I can), she lost a kid AFTER SCHOOL!!! like, NO ONE knew where this kid was and she didn't make it home….
turns out that she wanted to go home with a friend, but didn't have a note to do so, so teacher told her no…which is the right thing.BUT teacher didn't watch her as she was dismissing, and the kid went home with her friend anyway!! Seriously???
We had to call in the cops to go looking for her and everything….
this is one of those teachers that you constantly bang your head against the wall at…when I was leaving for maternity leave, I was thinking "thank you, God for giving me a break from this woman!!" lol
Thanks for the non academic game. I will use it on my class and they will LOVE it! Tho There.
missing kids, happened this week. I hate that feeling in your chest as you realize that you didn't realize it.
Happy Friday! Monday off? I remember that in California (two beautiful Mondays off in a row)…we don't get it off here and the following Monday we have staff development instead of teaching so still not a break.
But my last teaching day is May 26th. I am still giddy about that change from Cali to Texas. Wanna move out here? Ok perfect. It's settled.
I left my whole class in the lunchroom one time…does that count? (didn't even notice until I was almost back to the room…in my defense, they were third graders…much more quiet than my firsties)
Jennifer
First Grade Blue Skies
First, I heart Parenthood. I was at a loss when it just suddenly stopped coming on for 2 weeks, but could finally breathe when it came back this week.
Second, I lost 2 students the other day. Well, I didn't realize lose them, but they were standing out in the hall (right outside my door!) for 15 minutes before I realized they were gone. Should have known the room was too quiet, because one of them was my very special friends.
Third, thanks for the bingo!
Natalie
Teachery Tidbits
One day I got a new student & after lunch when I was taking roll realized he was A.W.O.L. I asked the kids where he went and there was a room full of shrugging shoulders. When I asked my kids why they didn't buddy up with him and show him the lunch ropes they said because I didn't tell them to. Wha? I didn't realize I had to be so specific!
I was nervous because while in school they always told us that we'd be alright as long as we didn't lose a kid. With sweaty palms I alerted the office of our situation.
Turns out, he decided to go home.
The next time I got a new student, I gave the class a really hard time about not letting this one out of their sight.
Now, when I get new students I joke with them after lunch about the fact that we must not be all bad because they decided to stick around after lunch. The kids always think I'm pretty funny.
Super cute BINGO game wish our party was today and not Tuesday:/ When my daughter was in first grade we took the kids on a hay ride, and the teacher (not ME!!! lol) left one girl in the bathroom…because she was never where she was suppose to be, doing what she was suppose to do, and now she is 19 and probably in jail…or pregnant…or both. So why didn't the AP just send a note that said "I have so and so….??
–it happens! lol
Tammy
I often move into full panic mode, interrogating the rest of the kids, only to have a sixth grader walk back into the room and say, "You told me I could…," "You said I should…", "You sent me…"
And when I turn around and ask "Did I…" the rest of the class choruses, "YES!"
Does it count as losing them if I send them somewhere and don't remember?
One of my co-workers had a kid run away after school. We were driving up and down the streets, running through alleys… And then there was a helicopter!
Poor you. Ms. AP TOOK him and then called to ask about him? That's MEAN… for crying out loud!
Friday, Friday, FRIDAY!
Kim
Finding JOY in 6th Grade
Yup Yup, this happened to me. I left a kiddo in the classroom bathroom. Let me point out that he got out of line to go there. The rest of us walked to the gym (four feet away). A third grade teacher found him as he was starting to panic. Thankfully, Mom was understanding. Now, everytime he goes to the bathroom he screams…DON'T LEAVE ME…SLAM.
I don't watch the reality tv you do, but for me it was a stellar evening because Swamp People started up again.
I have lost a kid, I once had a say "challenging" child and he decided he didn't like his aide, so he left the school and walked about a mile and then asked a lady if he could come in and watch t.v. Needless to say the police were called.
Another time, I had an autistic child decide to try and find his home during lunch. Luckily a mother going home for lunch saw him and brought him back. He got a new aide the next week. she had left him unattended while she made a phone call. I remember the blind panic I felt both time.
My principal would intentionally swipe kids during fire drills to make sure we were really doing head counts and not just pretending! So, I totally know how you feel!
Stop by sometime, I haven't heard from you in a while!!
-Staci
Let's Teach Something
Several years ago, my sweet friend kept a child in from recess to finish her work. When she had completed her work, my friend said, "You may go now." meaning go to recess. The child did not go to recess. The child walked home. We have not let said friend forget this. It's just too good!
Laura
Peace, Love, and First Grade
Oh man!! What's one less kid?? I forgot a kid on the playground actually he was hiding under the slide on purpose. He was one of those kids that I watch like a hawk. I knew he was missing before we got all the way inside. Such a mess. Thanks for the freebie!! Have a good weekend!
Ha, love your blog!
I "lost" two kids this year. One kiddo didn't like to play outside so we arranged for him to go to the computer lab. So off I sent him to the computer lab. When we came back in, I sent a kid to go get him. I start teaching science and the kid comes back and says he's not in there. What do you mean he's not in there? So I asked him if he asked the teacher and he said yes. Hmm…sooo, I called the office and was like "I don't know where _________is." One minute later, he came in. Turns out, the lab was being used for MAP testing and the computer lab teacher took him to the library. Whew!
The second time I picked my kids up from computer (in the library again for MAP testing). One of my friends was having a rough morning and I noticed he wasn't in there (his mom works at our school so I thought he might be with her). I asked the teacher and she told me he was just there, that he must be hiding. She said she'd look for him so off we went. Then my kids told me he ran out the other library door and sure enough, there he was hiding in our room…i yi yi
So really, none of them were my fault 🙂
Bonnie
Living A Wonderful Life
Yes, I have had kids go missing for the same reason yours did or I've just left them in the clinic when I should have picked them up for lunch or specials. I also "lost" my whole class once too. Yup, I took them to P.E. went to pick them up at P.E. and they weren't there. No one could tell me where they were. So I asked the front office. They were in the computer lab. I ran to the computer lab and guess what no kids. Finally ran back to my room and there are my kids waiting for me with the computer lab teacher. Hmph! But you know what we're aloud to forget things when we have a million and one things going on! (or at least that's what I keep telling myself to sleep at night.)
Rambling About Reading
Too funny!!! Like all of it!!! I'm sure I've lost a kid…..but, mine are old enough to find their way back so I won't say I have lost them….left the room without one or two….maybe….come in from recess without 2 or 3….um yes……but that's their fault right??? There's one me and they are supposed to listen for my whistle…it is very distinct….VERY….like cowgirl whistle with my fingers…not metal whistle….so they have not excuse. Hmm!
4th Grade Frolics
You hooked me at Bazinga! Yes I have been missing Parenthood too. I feel so much better that it is back.
During my student teaching we had a whole school trip to see the movie Earth on Earth Day. The movie theater was just filled with schools. The movie was long and boring for first graders, so it meant many (and I stress the many) trips to bathroom. I took two students to the bathroom and waited for them to come out. One came out and I sent him in with any teachers. I continued to wait, more kids go in and come out, waited some more….and continued until I released something was wrong. I asked students going in to tell the student to hurry up. They report he wasn't there. I was freaking out. Somehow in all the hussle and bussle of the bathroom shuffle he had slipped back into the movie theater. Everything was fine, but I still had a mini heartattack.
Jessica
Apples and Papers
I lost one last year for almost 15 minutes and I still had no clue he was missing! We went outside and he thought he would stay inside, what kid does not want to go outside?
When I worked for the Y, the directors would try to sneak your kids off and then see how long it took you to notice. Needless to say, I still count my kids every 5 minutes on the playground.
Second Grade Math Maniac
I've def. had a kid or two wander the wrong way over the years – go to the bathroom, we go to to music, forgot to get the kid, etc. But nothing like these 5 years-olds walking home by themselves. And who are these principals swiping kids to prove you aren't paying attention? I had to do that as a teenage lifeguard, but as a professional educator? shudder.
– Lisa
a teachers bag of tricks
**Having a giveaway**
Oh my – I feel so much better after reading your blog AND all of these. Well let's see…there was that time I taught for about an hour and a half before one student pointed out another student who had been sleeping UNDER the couch in our classroom (for that entire time.) Or the time a student up and walked out of my room (Without me knowing) LEFT the building and walked to our local YMCA center. He thought swimming sounded more fun apparently than what I had just introduced. I know. That was totally a code red, school on lock down incident…and did I mention that was my first year of teaching? My principal was very impressed.
omgosh – you make me laugh so hard. Thanks! =)
one time I didn't realize a kid was absent for 2 days… he was a quiet kid and always followed the rules so… my bestie the secretary asked me to get his HW gathered b/c his mama was coming to get it and I was like… OH CRUDolla… anywho… Reagan told me you are moving out here… YAY it is settled WHOO HOO!!!!
I have this student, we must keep an eye on him at ALL TIMES. He steals. He steals food and beverage, like obsessively. Once, he escaped from my classroom, like we didnt notice he left, he broke into cubbie land (where al the speech people and stuff live), he found a two liter of pop (exactly what he was looking for) went to a cubbie, opened pop, drank some, someone yelled his name, then he dumped it. EVERYWHERE. all over someone's computer, their chair, their desk, their files, EVERYWHERE.
I have several stories fairly similar, but he ESCAPES! I even have bells on his table and bells on the doors, but he is like silent about it.
yes, that's a part of my daily life 🙂
Rachel
Ms. Rachel’s Room
We have a great many students in our school who routinely wander off/bolt out of the room/escape like Houdini that we even have a code to announce over the intercom when someone in your classroom goes missing. It's that common. A couple times a day we hear on the overhead announcement, "Ancillary meeting for [student name] in [location student was last seen]." Then each staff member has an assigned area to look near their classroom, and if you find the missing kid, you just go on the intercom and "cancel the ancillary meeting" and get the kid back to his or her class. It's all very normal and routine, but I still get panicked the few times I've had to call an "ancillary meeting" on one of my kiddos!
Kara
Spedventures
Okay…I just have to add one more. We have a set of twins in K this year. On the first day of school (so that doesn't really count, does it?) the twins got swapped. It only lasted between one recess and lunch. It did however take us a bit to realize that we each had the wrong student for part of the day and that they ended up back in the right class.
Terri
Unfortunately, yes, frequently.
They're naughty! They don't line up! They sneak into the bathroom during lunch and PE and DON'T COME OUT! What is protocol there? Leave the twenty who DID come back to wander aimlessly and look for the one who didn't. I don't know. But yes, they do occasionally just not come back, and half the time the office has them and hasn't bothered to let me know they're holding a kid hostage.
Or they're hanging on the stall doors in the bathroom, kicking off the wall and swinging like monkeys. They love that.
Buzzing with Ms. B
This post was so funny, as always! I would use the word hilarious, but I use it too much when I post comments about your blog, so I'll skip it this time. 🙂 I loved reading all of the comments, too. I am amazed that there are principals and directors out there that deliberately trick their teachers by "stealing" their students to see if they are watching! That's so mean! I would be ticked.
And here is my "Lost Child Story." I had a little boy that had been struggling to learn the color words, and his mother devised a plan to help him by buying a Spiderman T-shirt and safety pinned the color words to it. She thumb-tacked the shirt to the wall, and every time they walked by it, she asked her son what the words were. Once she was sure that he knew a certain word, they unpinned it from the shirt. Once the shirt was free of all of the words, he would get to wear it!
One day that child walked into my room before school started and told me, "I'm going to go home and practice my color words!" I sayed, "Oh, good for you! Now go outside and play." (The kids were supposed to be out at recess.)
When the kids came inside and I took attendance, he was GONE! My heart sank as I began to realize that he probably went HOME- all by himself! I ran for the phone and called the office, and watched in disbelief as the entire office staff spread out in a fan, searching for this child. The secretary immediately called his mother. She opened up the door, just to find her son getting ready to knock! He had crossed a four lane street to get there. He said, "Don't worry, Mom! I waited for the green light."
Can you imagine? I was so lucky that nothing happened, that she understood that her son left without permission, and that she didn't really blame me or the staff. She just calmly brought him back. Yikes!
Heidi Butkus
Thanks for the freebie! I just sat down to make a totally meaningless Bingo game for VD! Guess what?! You already did it for me! YESSSSS!
Yes, I've lost a kid.
This year, one of my students went to lunch after our morning recess instead of coming back to class. I didn't even notice for QUITE some time. When I {and by I, I really mean the kids} figured out she was gone, I went to the lunchroom. She had already FINISHED her lunch and was talking away with the 3rd graders! DUH! Didn't she realized that none of her classmates were in there? HAHAHAHAHA! Needless to say, she got two lunches.
P.S.
My punctuation perfection pages are FREE. 🙂 No need to put them on your wish list. 🙂
Yes! One year I had a child that had NEVER been to school. He would get up when we were on the rug and go get things off the shelf and start doing them, he would try and get on the computer when we were all doing math…he had no idea that he had to follow directions. He left the classroom one morning, grabbed his backpack and was about to walk home…which was a long ways off. Someone saw him right before he left the school.
Talk about freaking out!
So, you are moving to Texas??? WAHOO!!!! =)
Heather
Heather's Heart
I'm totally going to use this bingo game! Thanks!
Kayla
http://schenkgr4.blogspot.com/
Hilarious! (You, not the losing the kid thing)
Miss B, Busy Bee