A Good Day

My goal with this blog is to shed some light on teaching for those who are interested in it. As a result, I have tended to discuss serious professional matters, and the gripes many of us have. Today, however was a very good day, and I would like to discuss some of the perks of my job.

Today, a group of twenty seniors colluded to get me good with one of the few pranks I have seen at school that did not amount to vandalism or major school disruption. To be fair, the young ladies who organized the prank had discussed it in my company (they thought they were being quiet) and they enlisted the help of a colleague to get me out of my room for 20 minutes. I knew something was going to happen. But, I had no idea what they were going to do.

So I was not shocked when I returned from lunch (noticing obvious lookouts) to find my window covered with foil (I figured that they were guarding their secret). I was pretty shocked however to find that every other item in the room, computers, tables, chairs, maps, lights, the whiteboard, my chair, all the things on my desk, my desk, the thermostat, the globe, each and every book, and all the windows had been wrapped in aluminum foil. Each student had brought with them their whole household supply of the stuff. There were lots of pictures, and the kids cleaned it up, creating a gigantic foil ball. We spent most of the afternoon engaged in foil ball fights and card games. I left at 5 when the day ended at 2:15. We had a great time, and I had a great day.

I left feeling glad that I was the sort of teacher that inspired this much effort on the part of my students (whether or not I am as successful at inspiring them to read). It is one of the strangest things I have ever admitted, but I left feeling that what I do is valuable because kids were willing to wrap my chair in foil. Obviously, knowing they learned something matters too, but today I was just happy to bond with the kids.