Corrie Chronicles - Student Teaching #4

     Considering it's been over a week since my last update, I thought it about time to finally send another one out. Sorry to have kept you all in the dark for so long, but the pace is really starting to pick up. I'm teaching full time now - well, as full time as 4 classes and a spontaneous school can be. Starting last Wednesday I've officially taken over the English classroom! Look out kids - it's no more Miss nice Hockaday...ha ha - yeah right!! I'm about as mean as a ... uh ...some really not mean thing! ;) Anyways, it's been fun. Last week was a little rough, but I think I've worked out the issues and established some authority w/ the kiddos.

    Part of my issue last week was that we all had just come back from winter retreat where I had been my usual self. As most of you know, camp is my thing; I mean the authoritative facade falls away and I'm just a crazy, excitable, fun-loving, game-playing girl! I mean you can't expect me to be the proper, heel-wearing, hair-curling, demerit-dishing school marm! It just isn't going to work! Not to say that I was *improper, it's just that in that setting I'm all about the kid. I'll do whatever it takes to build rapport and friendship with them. Whereas, here at school, you know, I have to keep my distance - no friend here, kind of thing! Anyways, at camp I resorted to story telling and game playing and the real Corrie came out. So when everyone came back here, they expected me to be the same - which unfortunately, I can't be - and they were all greatly disappointed!

So, anyways, that was my mini drama for the week. ...Sadly, the drama has been relatively mild during my stay here....Though, the camp weekend had it's moments...First off, in my cabin of 26 some junior high girls which I shared with the youth pastor's wife, we had a number of interesting characters. Though most of the campers were from our church and school, there were a few from another church that joined up with ours. One of these said kids, was a 15 year old girl named Stephanie. Though physically 15, mentally she might have been 7; and she is one of those special ed kids who LOVES to hug you!!!!!!!!! Okay - ya'll know, I HATE to be touched!!!! So, someone that comes up to me out of the blue and hugs me for like 5 minutes straight and stands 2" away when she talks to me and tries to hold my hand!!!!!!!!......drives me NUTS!!!! Thankfully, she wasn't as enamored with me as she was with Michelle, my "co-counselor." This girl would write "love" notes to Michelle all day long and would never leave her alone! I had to laugh sometimes, but then again I felt bad for her too. I knew that if this girl annoyed me this much and she didn't even like me, how much more was Michelle suffering!!! ha ha...she was an odd one!!!!!!!....speaking of odd kids from this random church...Monday afternoon while I was monitoring the game room I was just chillin' and playing Foosball and would often sit down and jam on my guitar for a while. Well, one time, I was playing away when this very large kid (from the other church) came over to talk to me - this kid was 14 more or less, a little upper lip fuzz, and the poor kid was so over-weight he literally waddled ("bless his heart":). Anyways, he came over and tried his hand at small talk and flirting. "I bet you're pretty good at that." 
"At guitar?" 
"Yeah, I bet you're really good." 
"No, not really. I just play around..." 
"No, I bet you can really play; you should play a song for me." 
"No, I don't really want to play anymore." 
"Oh, come on, you won't play for *me?" 
"Well, I don't really play for people; I just play so people can sing along." 
"But I want to here *YOU*"...ha ha ha...anyways, all day he just kind of wandered around down there and would try to get me to play for him. Later on when I was picking up trash from the floor, he was just sitting there staring at me (obviously, I felt VERY uncomfortable!!!). As I was carrying out my duty, I heard him say from behind me, "I don't really have to call you Miss Hockaday, do I?" 
"What?" 
"Do I really have to call you Miss Hockaday like the rest of the kids? I can just call you Corrie, right?" ha ha ha...he said that like he was old and "eligible." HA HA HA (and I don't know how he knew my "real" name in the first place- kind of creepy!!!)...

     Well, this week is Spirit Week, so not a lot of classes and teaching are going on - but I am having some fun. Yesterday, especially, was great: their theme for dress was "International Day" - right up my alley, eh?! So, I was debating between French and English cause I had my beret which I can wear either way...the deciding factor turned out to be the accent ;) That morning I decided to go the whole day with the corresponding accent, and since I'm far more comfortable with British than French (as you all know:) I went with the get up I wore for the masquerade game at NBBC. So, I went the whole day with the accent- I taught all four classes w/ my foreign flavor;) so fun! And they loved it! The 9/10th graders who are usually pretty chatty (because there are 26 of them and they all love me and want to talk to me!) were COMPLETELY silent!!! It was AMAZING!!! They didn't utter a peep while I lectured away on pronouns! I was awe struck!...They were so attentive to my speech that they didn't make any of their own! ( I think I'm on to something! ;)

Today, we had our carnival/sell the Sr/Jr day. They have this tradition here where they sell the seniors to the highest bidder, and once 'owned' they must act as the buyers' slave for a couple of days; and the money earned is used to fund spirit week stuff.  This tradition is seriously big bucks!! Some of the little kids were pooling their money together and spending up to $55 on a highschooler!!! Crazy! Anyways, after they had gotten through w/ the seniors and juniors, all of the boys started to chant my name. The crowd was going crazy and the "auctioneer" - (my coordinating teacher/principal and the youth pastor) gave into the demanding mass. So, I, Corrie L. Hockaday, was placed on the auction block, and I, Corrie L. Hockaday, was sold for an insulting $20 to a couple of 5th grade girls!!!All of the boys had already run out of money and these girls were the only ones left w/ green in their pockets...Ridiculous! ...I'm not sure what the job description of a slave is here at Community, but I'll soon find out and keep you posted!!!

Well, All, this email has lengthened into an embarrassingly long collection of anecdotes; and I'm sure I could compose one of equal length, but I've already spent far too much of your time and my shameful neglect should not be the cause of your encumberment! So, until next time (which will hopefully be soon!),this is Corrie Hockaday, signing off.

P.S. Miss you all immensely!!! And am praying for you all!!!