During our unit on plants, the students planted seeds in cups (remember that?) and wrote in their plant journals their observations. Here’s some of the highlights. Consider all mistakes to be (SIC). (What does that stand for, anyway?)

The Enthusiastic Student

Date: 4/28
It’s grown a little bit. It’s very little. It’s only green yet.

Date: 5/2
My plant has grown alot. But it hasn’t grown it’s flower part yet.

Date: 5/3
My plant has a lot more than before. And I think it is going to be beautiful when it is done growing.

5/8
My plant really giant! I love it!
(Sketch on back cover: I love plants!)

The Paranoid Student

4/28
The plant is green it was going to die but I put some water in it thanks godnes it didn’t die

5/1
My plant is grown now Im happy My plant has grow because Mrs. Teague is so nice.

5/2
My plant is amost dieind but I water it in I think is not going to died becase I water it.

5/4
My plant died I think because Julie push it in up came my plant Im sad that I think is died.

5/5
My plant died because it not strong someone could brake it Im sad becase it died

5/6
My plant is grown Im so so so happy that my plant did not died

The Student You Just Want to Hug

5/28
It is growing and it is looking bueatyful and it has two leave.

5/2
I think my plant is growing a lot.

5/3
I fiel happy it ok if my plant ripped.

5/4
I feel mine is growing a lot.

5/5 I think mine is really growing.

5/8
My plant died.

Normally, I’m not the kind to ask for help in a store. (I think it has something to do with Walmart.) But the girl who greeted me at the door looked so friendly that when she asked if she could help, I asked her where to find colored copy paper. Completely genuine, she pointed me in the right direction -again, HUGE store sign that I missed. Must learn to read signs.
When I returned to the counter, the girl looked at me and said, “Are you all set?” So I said yes and set my stuff down thinking she was going to check me out. She paused and looked at an older woman standing next to her.

Now the fun begins. As always, I am choosing a dialogue format.

Woman: (whispering, but still loud enough for me to hear) Scan in her items.
The girl did.
Woman:Tell her the total.
Girl: That will be $11.08.

I gave her my card and was about to tell her it would be debit when-

Women:Ask her if it’s debit or credit.
Girl:Is this debit or credit?
Me: Debit.
Woman: Okay, now when it’s debit, you don’t ask them to sign. Now ask her to swipe her card- oh. It looks like she already did.
(I didn’t realize that I should have been approaching this more as a role play)
Okay then, now you hit the key.

The girl hit the key.

Woman: Now ask her to enter her pin number.
Girl: Please enter your pin number.

If you’re tired of reading it, BELIEVE ME, I felt terrible for the poor girl and I was ready to leave.

So as the woman continued to walk the girl through e v e r y step of the check out process, I was ready to be finished. But the check out went on. Finally, it was time for me to get the bag and go.

Woman: Okay, now put the items in the bag.

The girl did, but the way the paper was sitting in the bag, the plastic was already starting to tear. The girl panicked a little-

Girl: Hmm. Is the bag too big?
Me: Oh, that’s okay, I can take it-
Woman: Well, you can straighten the paper in the bag.

The girl didn’t do anything.

Woman: Here- I’ll show you.
Me: (thinking- end it! end it!) You know, I don’t really need the bag, I can just take it by itself.
Woman:Oh, you don’t want the bag?
Me:No, I really don’t need it. (JUST end it.)
Woman: Okay then. (to girl) Now, when they say they don’t want a bag…

At this point, I was mentally crying. The poor girl seemed really sweet and not talked down to at all as the woman showed her how to place stickers on paid items. And explained to her that these stickers shows someone had actually paid. Because otherwise- Yes, she actually said this- you wouldn’t know if someone was just walking out with something they hadn’t paid for.

As a teacher, I must say that I felt the whole thing could have been done with a lot more discretion.

I’ll keep this short and painful.
Tonight after dinner, Josh and I were going to buy (yet more) classroom supplies. The Old Navy was next to Target, so I talked Josh into walking in with me to look for a particular shirt.
I walked through the entire women’s side- dressy, casual, pajamas, bathing suits- until I got to the back of the store. There was this white, billowy dress. “Just pregnant people clothes back here. ” (I said it loudly on purpose as sort of a joke- the whole now-that-you’re-married-people-think-you’re-going-to-get-pregnant thing. I was trying to make my husband uncomfortable and it was wrong and I am sorry and I paid for it.) Josh paused and said- a bit more subtly, “Uh, it’s not just pregnant people….”
Here’s where I first noticed the overweight girl to my left. Literally, at my elbow.
And then I saw the HUGE signs all over the department- “Women’s Plus Sizes.”

End of shopping experience.