Today I was pushed, scratched, kicked, had my face blown on (That's a new one, and it grosses me out almost as much as getting spit on), stabbed in the face with a pencil, and choked. All by one child. Who I was with almost the entire day. But enough about that.

In the spirit of this past Thanksgiving, I'll share some of the things I like best about my current students.

K: Turned in a class assignment about the similarities between archaeologists and scientists. His answers were 1)History 2)Dinosaurs 3)Dragons and 4)Leprechauns. If that wasn't good enough, his clues for the game Catchphrase included such hints as "Rhymes with lomputer" (Computer) and "Starts with an F, ends with truck (Fire truck).

Danny: Is a short, round kid who gets excited about everything, but especially Star Wars and strategy card games. He talks in a squeaky, lispy voice and I am almost sure he is, in fact, an elf.

Cole: Is in that super akward girl stage that just makes you want to cringe. She has an enormous need to feel accepted by other girls. She likes boys and shows it by following them around but being too shy to say anything, but not shy enough to refrain from kicking them. She has seemingly no awareness of her body yet, but will ask to check in with female staff only to whisper loud enough for everyone to hear "I'm on my period!"

C: Can talk about the roughest parts of his life with bravery and openess. Surgeries, having had cancer, death and loss- everything. It inspires me to be more open as an adult.

Jr: Tries to play the tough guy, is oppositionally defiant, and often has no trust in adults. Despite that, he still craves basic adult affection, and when his guard is down, will do everything he can to make sure you're close by- including asking for help tying his shoes and talking for 20 minutes straight about anime characters. And his catch phrase is a very dramatic "Nooooooooooo!"

Byrd: Is a sweet kid with a good diposition who racked up several hundreds of dollars in internet porn bills by the time he turned 12, though he'll never admit as much to me. Although this is a bit unsettling, I find it a bit hilarious and rather normative development, considering he's going through puberty and not the first kid his age I've known to do the same.

Shantay: Is hands down better at sports than any boy at our school. Basketball, football, almost everything. And if she isn't the best at it, she just refuses to bother. Oh, and I caught her knocking on a door the other day and when the counselor asked who it was, she answered "Favorite Shantay". You gotta love a girl with self esteem.

Mick: honestly wants and tries to do better everyday. He has an incredibly short fuse so often he doesn't achieve his goals, but that has never, for one day, stopped him from trying. Oh, and he was able to hit me with rocks from across the parking lot. Small rocks though, so I was able to admire his arm instead of just being annoyed.

Bebe: Comes up with the best nicknames. My initials apparently stand for "Bully Squad", which is my new favorite nickname. And she can sing and dance by herself for hours. The number one favorite is "Little Satan" in which she dances around in a circle poking her fingers into the air, defiantely repeating the title over and over and over

Jane: Plays dumb in large groups, has trouble speaking for herself, and often answers "I don't know". Get her to herself though, and she can express her ideas and thoughts in writing better than the majority of kids her age- in our school or most others. And she actually practices her cursive!