Aggressive Dogs

I had a quite lengthy conversation with a first grader about aggressive dogs today. It went something like this...

1st Grader: Miss Stephens, do you have dogs...are they aggressive?

Miss Stephens: No, I just have a cat.

1st Grader: Because you should never have an aggressive dog, dogs can be aggressive.

Miss Stephens: Yeah you definitely don't want to have an aggressive dog. Do you have any dogs?

1st Grader: Yes, I have two dogs, but they are not aggressive. I would be really really mad if they were aggressive because I just couldn't handle that kind of aggression.

Single and Teaching

It's amazing to me that simply having the name "Miss" instead of "Mrs." sends up a red flag to all students. The younger students think there must be something wrong with you and the older students are way too interested in your love life. Here are just a couple things my younger students have told me (their names have been changed for their protection).

Sally, age 6
"Miss Stephens are you married?"
"No I'm not."
"How can you be a grownup if you're not married?"

Joey, age 5
"Do you have a husband Miss Stephens?"
No I don't."
"I think you need a husband."
"Why's that Joey?"
"Cause you're old like that."

Well, there are about a hundred more than that but they would get pretty redunant, but these two are my favorite. It's nice to know my students are so worried about my well-being! ha ha

My high school students are a completely different story...my high schoolers are very concerned with my love life but in a completely different way. For example, I go to church with several of my students and they saw me with a guy at church one day. Supposedly, they said hello to me and I ignored them because I was "talking to a cute boy." I don't recall ever seeing them but it really hurt their feelings. They took it upon themselves to announce to the entire high school that Miss Stephens now has a cute boyfriend and is too cool to talk to her students when he's around. They have not since forgotten this episode and constantly ask about him. It's like there are little spies everywhere I go. I can't do anything without them knowing about it. I even had a student threaten to prank call him. That is sooooooo high school!!! I graduated from high school almost six years ago!

Christmas Card

The sixth grade class had a very simple assignment. Each one is to make a Christmas card on the computer for a specific teacher. This is the Christmas card I received from the 6th grade class. This is what I got...sweet huh? Although I do not have the sixth grade in an actual class, I am with them everyday in chapel. When I read this I laughed uncontrollably and then I died a little inside.

Welcome To My Blog

I've finally decided to jump on the blog bandwagon and make one of my own. I found it very hard to come up with a good name for my blog. Did any of you have the same trouble? I wanted something original, witty, intelligent...what I came up with was "The Memoirs of Sassafrass." Well...I get points for being original.
I've never been much for nicknames and Sassafrass is the only nickname I've ever had and only one person called me by this nickname. Josh Rael and I went through middle and high school together. We sang in the same choir. One year, we sang a song (I can't even remember the title), and some of the lyrics went like this:
"Scrub oak grows and sassafrass, along the shady stones you pass..."
That's all I can remember of the song but that's where I got my one and only nickname that only one person was ever allowed to call me. I'm 23 now and Josh still calls me Sassafrass to this day. Interesting story? Probably not, but I wanted you to know that the name of my blog isn't totally random.