Practicum story

I think the most interesting thing that occurred during my practicum was the first day that I met and taught a grade 9 class.  I was nervous since it was my first actual lesson in a highschool classroom, but the lesson went the way I had planned with minimal distractions/disruptions.  I noticed from last day of observing this grade 9 class, that there were a few students who were the noisy trouble makers who were being constantly reminded to pay attention.  To my surprise they seemed quite relaxed and calm when I taught and during my class I assigned a few questions for the class to do, I began circulating the class as the students worked on the problems.  As I walked by the supposed noisy trouble makers, one of them started a conversation with me, asking me about "how I got so big".  I explained that I started working out since grade 10 and never used any supplements or drugs to enhance my physique and they payed attention to everything I said.  Once the students seemed like they had finished working out the questions, I went back to the board and asked students to come up and write their solutions.  Near the end of my lesson, I gave the class a tricky question, which was confusing to solve.  However, the biggest surprise was about to come... the student who raised their hand to give the solution to this tricky question was actually one of the trouble making students, he approached the whiteboard to write his answer, while the class sat in their seats shocked that of all people, this student was the one to come up to the board.  I heard comments as he approached the board like "oh my god, he's going to write something!", "how did he get it and we didn't?", "wow..." and to everyone's amazement, this student had shown the proper solution.  Once the student finished writing his solution down, he asked me if his solution was correct, but he ended up nicknaming me, rather than calling me as Mr. Hu.

It was from that day and on that that student and his group of friends started calling me by the nickname they had given me... Mr. Muscles.

I don't mind that name honestly, but I laugh everytime I hear it going down the hallway and everyone stares, although it may sound funny, but given my physique, it helped create a connection to these students and for the remaining classes, when I needed the class's attention, these trouble makers actually help me do so at times too.