The second job

So today was my first day at a second job. I am helping teach a "topics in math" class that is an elective class for "recommended" fifth graders from all over my area. It's saturday mornings from 9:30-12:30. It was a very interesting experience, today. On the one hand, who wants to work Saturday morning? On the other hand, the money was pretty good (the original motivation) and the kids were SO CUTE.

Fifth graders are much needier than my high school kids, they will raise their hand and just sit there and wiggle until you tell them they can use the bathroom. They want you to walk around and confirm every answer (ok, some of my kids do that) there was this one activity where they were supposed to estimate the amount of water on the earth using a grid and ratios and stuff, and they kept asking me if their answer was right, and I wanted to be like "what part of the word 'estimate' do you not understand?" One girl kept needing help, but she couldnt' remember my name, so she would go "Mrs, Mrs . . . " and then very quietly but firmly "I can't remember" and ask her question. At the end of the day she thanked me for helping her so much. A very different satisfaction than you get from high school kids.