May

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

“That was a bumpy ride! I fell out of my chair!”

"Thank you for teaching me, Miss Cunningham."
May 1, 2010

We had a guest come in and talk with us about pet care, and one of the questions she asked was,
"What's a rodent?"
One student raised his hand and said,
"I don't remember, but my dad knows."
May 3, 2010

Student 1: "A bee!"
Student 2 goes to squish it.
Student 1: "Don't squish it!"
Student 2 squishes it and says, "I squished the honey out of it!"
May 8, 2010

As we were lining up for Chapel today, we went over our three rules and one of my students said, as he saluted me, "Okay, Miss Cunningham! Right ON!"
May 12, 2010

After returning to our air conditioned classroom from being out on a hot playground, one student said, "Awwww(refreshed)......It's like a fridge-a-later in here!"
May 20, 2010

April

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

After doing a rhythm pattern repetition with my class today, in which we used our cheeks as instruments, some students chose to continue the pattern on their own, after we had finished the exercise.
One student said,
"Your cheeks are turning red!" and another said,
"Yeah, like you're in love!"
April 6, 2010

After digging at a splinter in his finger, one student announced,
"Miss Cunningham, my finger's beeping [throbbing]! It's going dun, dun, dun, dun [heartbeat noise]."
April 8, 2010

A mixed up tongue landed this quote: instead of saying,
"Look on the duck book," he said,
"Look on the dunk skook!"
April 9, 2010

After going up to the board to write an answer to a question I had asked, I asked a student to explain how he knew his answer was correct. He explained in great detail and then looked at the class and said,
"Did you know that, kids?"
April 16, 2010

I play instrumental music for my students while they journal or do handwriting, but the other day, I played some more upbeat music that had lyrics, and they started debating whether or not it was rock music.
One said, "My dad calls 'jazz' rock music.....SMOOTH jazz!"
April 18, 2010

When reading a book about city life and country life, one of the pages had a picture of a huge crowd of people hurrying around the city. One student said,
"PLEASE tell me that they're at least going to a 2 for 1 sale!"
April 22, 2010

During our Bible lesson, I asked my first graders what it meant to be bold, and one answered,
"It means when you have no hair!"
With a quick clarification, this matter was resolved.
Fortunately, to spread the Good News, you don't have to be BALD!
April 22, 2010

In reading about how oranges get from the tree to your home and the process that they go through, Cesar Chavez' name was mentioned and how he helped migrant workers to be treated fairly.
At the end of reading, one student raised his hand and said,
"Wait. What was that guy's name you said at the beginning?"
I answered, "Cesar Chavez?" and he said,
"Yeah! That's my gardener!"
April 23, 2010

March

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

When doing a journal entry, one student chose the writing prompt for describing the youngest person you know.
He then asked another student:
"(Student's Name)- are you young?"
March 1, 2010

When a sick student stopped by school to pick up his makeup work, another student (who wasn't sick) said,
"Feel better (Student's Name)! Every day!"
March 2, 2010

I asked the first graders for an example of temptation today.
Here was an interesting answer:
"When you go into a chocolate factory without asking."
March 4, 2010

When telling the kids to keep their eyes glued to a turquoise phonics chart that they were supposed to be reading, one student said,
"My eyes are glued to (Student's Name)'s curly brown hair! That's all I can see!"
March 5, 2010

While reminding a child that he should not be facing his friend when sitting in a timeout, he said,
"But my shadow is facing him still!"
March 8, 2010

When playing a computer game, one student said, "My hands are so nervous!"
March 9, 2010

When noticing that an ice pack said "Hot or Cold" one student was voicing his confusion and another one logically explained,
"Yeah, you know, like when you don't put it in the freezer and you put it in the trash can, it heats up!"
March 10, 2010

While the kids were busy writing in their journals, I made a phone call to the Kindergarten teacher to ask her to bring something to our Big Buddy activity today. I heard one first grader say,
"Shhh! You guys! Let's hear what she is saying!"
Then, right when I hung up, he asked me, "What were you saying?"
I said, "Oh, just something really important," and he responded with this guess, without knowing what the phone call was about: "Juice?"
March 12, 2010

When asking students if they had tried a spelling website that I had shown them to practice their spelling words last night, one said,
"I started to, but then my computer broke. It almost electric-shooted (electrocuted) my arm!"
March 16, 2010

I wore a skirt to work today for the first time in awhile, and on our way to class, a student said,
"Miss Cunningham, your knees look different. They used to be brownish and now they look whitish."

"If you're Christian and Irish, then you're Christ-rish."
March 17, 2010

When taking prayer requests at the beginning of the day, a student asked for prayer for his brother because
"he has bracelets [braces] on his teeth and some robot stuff [I'm assuming retainers] in his mouth that makes him talk funny."
March 18, 2010

"Pray for my brother, because he has mechanical stuff in his mouth and they put cement on his teeth so that the braces never fall off!"

As we were lining up at lunch today, one student came up to me and said,
"I love you!" and I responded,
"I love you, too!" and then he announced to the entire playground,
"I SAID I LOVE YOU TO MY TEACHER!"
March 19, 2010

While taking prayer requests, a few students reminded me of ongoing prayer requests that we have for a little girl named Daisy, and a little baby boy named Caedmon. Then one student said, "And Acorn!" (which is apparently a country that had an earthquake)!
March 23, 2010

Statement: "Ouch! My butt hurts!"
Response: "Why does your butt hurt?"
Answer: "I've got wood chips in it!"
March 25, 2010

After being annoyed with something that the other kids were repeating over and over and over and over again, one student said,
"Stop, guys! That's ignoring [annoying]!"
March 26, 2010

February

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

At the end of the day, I was playing freeze tag with my class and one student said, "Miss Cunningham, you're not very fast, but you’re GOOD!"
February 1, 2010

"My grandpa is old enough to be bald!"

During Reading Groups, one student started reading italicized words in a funny voice, and I said,
"It sounds like your battery is running out," and he responded,
"The words are squiggly, so I was reading in a squiggly voice!"
February 2, 2010

While chewing on chocolate cupcakes, my students were discussing what flavors they like and dislike. One said,
"I like ALL flavors...well....except for metal.....and paint......and paper!"
February 5, 2010

"Shake what your mama gave ya!"
(courtesy of Alvin and the Chipmunks- The Squeakquel)
February 8, 2010

We went over the story of David and Goliath today during Bible, and talked about how Goliath had a lot of armor to keep his body safe, and how David didn't, etc. At the end of the day, one student put his head through his vest armpit hole so that the majority of the vest covered his torso and said, "Look! Miss Cunningham! I'm Goliath!"
February 10, 2010

"Miss Cunningham, my eyes are dizzy and I can't make them stop!"
(as he purposely rolls his eyes over and over again)
February 17, 2010

While observing a game of Memory today, one first grader was winning and said,
"It's not really fair though, because I'm a super hero and I can read through the cards with my super powers. Now, I'll turn it off. ZING!"
February 18, 2010

"My mom has the swan flu. She just got it today."
February 19, 2010

"We made something Miss Cunningham! God commanded us to do it!"
February 23, 2010

"Miss Cunningham, can you pray for me and for my journey?"
February 26, 2010

January

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

During a conversation about how great Costco is, one student said, "I LOVE COSTCO!" and another said, "Costco is SO GOOD to us!"
January 4, 2010

"Did you know that at night I sleep like an angel?"
January 5, 2010

After slowly lunging around the room with a congo line of sorts behind me, one student said, "It's like we're from the Old Testament!" (referring to the Wall of Jericho)
January 6, 2010

During our Playtime at the end of the day, I happened to overhear two students saying, "Oh! For goodness' sake!"
January 7, 2010

When the kids went out to recess, there was bird poop on the swing, and so they shouted, "BIRD POOP! FRESH FROM THE OVEN!"

Later in the day, one student asked if he could clean out his desk "right now because it's a wreck. It's like a ship blew up on the beach. It's THAT messy!"
January 11, 2010

I happened to overhear this conversation between two students today:
Student 1: "Ew! Your breath stinks!"
Student 2: "So does yours!"
Student 1: "It smells like hot soy sauce."
January 12, 2010

While lining up for Chapel, I went over our Chapel rules with the kids and asked, "Are there any questions?"
One student raised his hand and said, "Your hair is behind one ear and not the other."
January 13, 2010

During our Spelling Pretest today, one student raised his hand after I had called out the word "fall" to say,
"Hey! Miss Cunningham! Did you know that Friday starts with an 'f' too?"
(At least he didn't spell the entire 4-letter word! PHEW!)
January 14, 2010

While the kids were doing a project for MLK Day, creating outfits for their paper dolls, I told them, "Wow! You are really good at this! You should be fashion designers!"
One student said, "Ew! No! I don't like fashion designers. They always try to do spiky hair!"
January 16, 2010

With all of the rain, I had a brief chat with the first graders about the possibility of losing power and how you can't see thunder, but you can hear it, etc. Their excitement level shot through the roof with this discussion, so I began whispering, to try to bring down the volume of their excitement. One of my students said, "You don't have to whisper, ya know. The thunder and lightening can't hear you!"
January 20, 2010

Student 1: "I'm SO LUCKY. I have my own pocket knife!"
Student 2: "I have my own BUTTER knife!"
January 21, 2010

"I LOVE SCHOOL! School is my favorite subject!"
January 30, 2010

December

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

After a new debate about who knows what, Student A says to Student B, "And YOU thought Moses built the ark!" in an accusatory voice, as if to say, "I'm not trusting you for ANYTHING!"

One student noticed yesterday that I was wearing yummy-smelling lotion. He quickly sniffed me up and down and ran over to the other kids and said, "Go smell Miss Cunningham! She smells beautiful!"
December 2, 2009

"That way is NORTH (pointing to the north) and that way is SORTH (pointing to the south).

"Stop. You're interrupting me from thinking of the Jurassic Period."

The class' new favorite phrase is: "That's SO scientific!" Anything that sounds more formal or grown-up quickly becomes "SO scientific!"
December 3, 2009

"You know how to get smart? Get a BIG head!"

"Miss Cunningham, I'm doing something SO SCIENTIFIC- how noise travels."
December 4, 2009

I was sitting on the floor, reading with the kids and one of them tripped onto (not over) my leg. I said, "Ouch! That hurt me! Did it hurt you?" and he said, completely unscathed, "Ouch! That's a spelling word!"
December 10, 2009

After a lesson on how people who come to America from other countries are called immigrants, I asked if anyone in my class was one. Two raised their hands. I said, "But, you didn't come from another country." Then one responded, "But I have freckles!"
December 10, 2009

I was given a bracelet as a birthday gift from a student. I put it on the same wrist that had already been adorned with a hair tie. A student suggested, "Don't you think you should take THAT off?" (pointing to the hair tie), to which I responded, "Oh yes, I probably should remove this so that I don't distract from the beauty of the bracelet, right?" and he said, "No, it would just look a little WEIRD if you didn't."

After reading the Christmas story from a kid's
Bible, we saw this page, and answered the question: "How do you show
Jesus that you love Him?"



One student's answer, after looking at the
pictures on the page was, "Hold a heart at Him."
December 14, 2009

"I dug a hole and saw real dirt and water inside!"
December 14, 2009

While walking to class today, one student said, "I have spice in my pants."
December 16, 2009

November

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

During Playtime, Student 1 schemed against Student 2, saying he was going to wreck Student 2's Lego ship when Student 2 was in the bathroom. Student 3 stepped in and said, "Remember the Bible story?" and continued on about how Esau shouldn't have wanted to kill Jacob, and how we should offer others grace, even when they have hurt our feelings/ruined our things.
November 2, 2009

After completing an entire page of reading with very little help, one student said, in a totally sincere voice, "Thank you Jesus! THANK YOU JESUS!" Then, another student asked, "How can I read like you?" (or something of that sort) and the first student responded, "Just pray that Jesus will help you!"
November 12, 2009

"I jumped OVER my shadow!"

(in a cool gangster, rap voice) "My name is Joe and I live in Tokyo, in the SNOW!"
November 13, 2009

After asking the kids what color they would like to change our caterpillar number line to, one answered, "Elizabeth?" and another, "Tyrannosaurus?"
November 16, 2009

After asking the kids, "When do you like to sing?" one answered, "Umm.....at ...noon."
November 16, 2009

Smallest student in the class is playing Star Wars with other kids on the playground and says, "DARTH VADER WILL DIE!!!!!" (then blows a dandelion most forcefully).
November 17, 2009

After asking the kids to take out their workbooks, two of them said, "And what page madam?"
November 18, 2009

"Do you want to read the Bible? It helps you get stronger and wiser."

"Can I clean out my desk? It's a WRECK!"

Student 1: "Moses built the ark, "
Student 2: "No, Noah did!"
Student 1: "Miss Cunningham- didn't Moses build the ark?"
Me: "No, Noah did. That's why it's called ...Noah's Ark."
Student 3: "Oh, I thought it was Michelangelo!"
November 20, 2009

(Referring to our number line, which is a "caterpillar" made from pieces of circular construction paper) "What should we name it? A he or a she?"
November 21, 2009

After a particular student finished asking how to spell Tyrannosaurus Rex, I told him he could just write T-Rex, and he said, "But Tyrannosaurus sounds SOOOOO scientific!"
November 23, 2009

October

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

"I just burped out peanut butter and jelly!"
October 2, 2009

"I've been stung by a black jacket [meaning yellow jacket]."
"Once, a rhino ran me over."
October 5, 2009

After a guest speaker who was talking to us about germs asked the kids what sorts of things they touch during the school day, one student answered, in all sincerity, "Bird poop."
October 8, 2009

"I'm smoked" (this conversation went from explaining that being smoked means you're excited and very logically flowed into a discussion about how when you get older, smoke starts coming out of your ears).

"Did you know that sometimes when you step on my foot, it actually feels good?"
October 9, 2009

2 students played a different version of Rock-Paper-Scissors- the new rendition was Moses-Jesus-God, followed up by a debate on who would be the winner- Jesus or God? Conclusion? God, because Jesus is his son and Jesus DIED on the cross!

After discussing where you see American flags, one student answered, "You see TONS on the 4th of July," while another said, "I saw one...on...the 6th of OCTOBER!"
October 20, 2009

While trying to cram a book into our classroom library, he says with a strained voice, "Still no sign of victory!"
October 28, 2009

"Pray for my little brother. He has the flute."
October 29, 2009

September

Photo, courtesy of Christianne Taylor Photography

"There's water on the inside of my backpack! It's sweating too!"
September 2, 2009

"I like your shirt Miss Cunningham. I didn't know you had one like that!"
September 10, 2009

"It's NOODLE hot out there!"
"Woa! God was a great creator!"
September 24, 2009

"Math is appropriate. You have to do it!"
September 28, 2009