October 9, 2014

Classroom Zoo #18 - I Call My Students Names. . . . and they LOVE it!

 Any kindergartner from classroom zoos past and present know the roles and responsibilities of the brainiac. They also know what it takes to be a knucklehead and goofball. Many aim to avoid being labeled a stinkeroonie. It is not uncommon for me to give nicknames to specific children. When I used a student as an example for what glaciers did to the landscape as they advanced southward, he became Mr. Tree. I had one student coined Mad Dog. He would only respond to me if I barked after calling on him. Reversing their first names, such as Sixela or Liagiba was common. Many names originated from my either inability of lack of interest in pronouncing their last names, including Mr. Casa, Mac Attack, and Newburst. The list goes on and on. With each passing year, I  have forgotten more nicknames that I've handed out to previous students and when I see those students in their later years, the nickname usually comes back into my memory before their actual name does. Of course, roles can be reversed. I have lovingly been termed Mr. Doughnuts, Dr. Dargatz, and even the occasional Mr. PotatoHead. Names come and go, but memories leave lasting impact.

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