Slow on the Uptake

One by one, my students finished their vocabulary tests and turned them over on their desks. N began doodling on the back of his paper. As I passed by, I tilted my head to see what he had written:

^
^
|
|
|
NNN
[his name, pointing to himself]

When he saw me reading, he started scribbling:

Mrs. Flower
|
|
|
\/

I reached down and pulled his pen out of his hand to edit his paper.

Mrs. Ms. Flower

"Oh yeah," he muttered, and we smiled over our little joke.

Not to be outdone, RF, having observed our little interaction, began to write on his hand with a Sharpie.

I [heart]

and then he got stuck. "How do you spell your name?" he asked.

"A-W-E-S-O-M-E," I rattled off as I walked down another row.

"Hold on," he said, tongue between his teeth. "A ... W ... E--Hey, wait a minute!"