Belated Wishes

Belated Cinco de Mayo wishes! The funniest thought came to me earlier. I just realized that the fact that I'm not teaching in a school right now has got me forgetting about the special days and holidays I'd otherwise be celebrating with 3rd graders. If I am not mistaken, Cornerstone had their annual Taco Lunch today. Throughout the week, the 3rd graders had to sign up to bring various fruits and vegetables; some had to bring snacks and drinks; others, the basic essentials of chips and dip. They probably spent a good deal of the morning cutting up fruit in the classrooms with plastic knives while the other classes and teachers gladly took a whiff of it all as they passed by wondering what the 3rd grade was up to, even though they do this every single year. It makes for good conversation that almost compares to a broken record, doesn't it? With the six classes participating to make a community fruit bowl, the teachers were probably on constant watch to make sure that each kid obediently washed their hands before handling any food AND that no fluid of any kind made it into the bowl. Disgusting thought, but a most definite and inevitable occurrence. 'Course, while all this is going on, one of the teachers is doing the exact same thing, BUT putting all the ingredients into a separate bowl- a much more germ-kid-free one especially for the rest of the teachers.

You can't forget about that one lucky teacher who has recess duty today. While the rest of the classes are trying to finish up all the cutting (and there WILL be kids who take forever!), one from the bunch will be in charge of ALL the kids- approximately all 125 of them! 'Cuz another teacher will be already getting all the food together, one is setting up the Cafe, another is preparing the video that they'll all watch after lunch, and the other two are in charge of the kids leftover in the classrooms because they can't cut faster than their mouths can move. Plus, on top of all of this activity, there is the constant classroom management, making sure no kids stab each other with the plastic knives, stop the kids from taking taste tests on the food, monitoring of the kids who've misbehaved and are only left to watch and/or do work, and just think that all of this happens before 10:30am.

It's funny how I could remember the schedule for the Cinco de Mayo celebration at school. As hectic as the day always turns out, I must be crazy to say this, but I sure do miss teaching! But there's always this sense of calm after each class has lined up for their tacos, after all the serving has been done, and when the teachers actually get to sit down and rest their feet. Yah, kids will always come up to you to either ask permission to go to the restroom, ask for seconds (again!), and/or complain about how someone made them drop their snacks or whatnot, but at that point, you're so pooped that you have to say, "May I please just eat my lunch first?" They may complain and whine, and for those who simply don't get it will continue to prod you for questions, but the majority will simply oblige to your wishes and let you eat in peace. That is, until another kid comes up to you and the rest can't help but follow suit. Kids are funny lil' creatures and teaching them and being around them on a daily basis is definitely a challenge.

And through all of the nonsense I just described, I can't wait to do it all over again.