Word Families

Every week my class studies a new word family. For example, last week our word family was -ight, so we studied words like knight, bright, and sight. One of the activities I do with the kids involves making a chart on which we brainstorm and record words that would be in the family of the week, and then we use them to write sentences and to include in our writers workshop writing.

This week's chunk is -uck. I dread this word family. For the past six years of teaching this word family I have been terrified an innocent child will think of THE WORD. You know the one. All the while we brainstorm words and make our chart, this word is screaming through my head and I am fervently praying, "Please don't say it. NOBODY SAY IT!"

And today, for the first time in six years, it happened. Someone gaily offered up the word. The f bomb. And I wanted to melt into the floor. I have thought about how I will handle this for SIX YEARS. Each time I think of another brilliant thing to say. But today? All I came up with, "Sorry! That's not a word."

I didn't wait to see if anyone wanted to argue that point with me. We moved right along to the next activity.

Sometimes I think being a teacher is going to take 20 years off my life! The things they come up with sometimes give me heart attacks!!