Ninth Graders Make the World Go Round

Although my ninth graders can, at times, being the most obnoxious human beings I've ever encountered - punching each other, throwing chairs, screaming obscenities - I find that I am rather fond of them. Most of the time when they get out of control, it is because they've been forced to sit down for too long. At my school, students do not change classrooms every period. Instead, the teachers move from room to room while the students stay put. As a result, my students end up bored and restless in their room, especially the ninth graders. But, despite all this, I adore them. Why? Because they are the funniest human beings I have run across to date. We are currently doing improv theatre, and this week, they had to act out fairy tales as quickly as they could (they were supposed to be five minute fairy tales, but most ended up taking ten to fifteen minutes because my students wanted to include every single detail they could remember). In addition to a wide variety of fairy tales that differed from class to class, all three classes chose to put on Snow White. All three classes took a completely different approach to the fairy tale, and all three classes were absolutely hilarious. In one class, the dwarfs had me rolling with an improvised song and dance. In another class, it was the overly enthusiastic prince who spouted off an improv monologue despite the fact that I've barely heard him speak in English all year. All in all, my ninth graders have made this week amazing. Sometimes, they really do make the world go round and get me through a week. :)