What goes through your mind?!?

Often, when our kids were younger, I would be amazed and/or aghast at the things it didn't occur to me to tell them not to do.

Nothing prepares you for the minds of children.

The same applies to being a teacher.  I didn't think to tell them not to lick that or say that or create that kind of chaos.

Yesterday one boy was teasing another that he "had a date."

I unraveled it all and it turned out since the first student had sunflower seeds, the second student's natural conclusion was that he was going to plant the seeds and grow sunflowers and then give them to a girl on a date.

The first student said, "They are FOOD!"

Yesterday a different boy thought that if he said "potato" to everything it would be funny.  It wasn't.  I told him it wasn't.  He kept doing it.  Potato, potato, potato. I said, "Look around you.  Is anyone laughing?  You aren't as funny as you think you are."

He looked a little embarrassed and I thought that maybe I should have been less harsh, but sometimes you need to tell people to. Just. Stop.

Yesterday a student gave back the birthday cards that the other students had created, with critiques.  I had a classroom of hurt feelings.  I gathered up all the cards.

I'm telling you, nothing prepares you for these scenarios.

After school I was waiting in line for the bathroom (there is always a line, no matter what time of day).  The teacher in front of me and the one in the adjacent work room were spinning about all they had to do and I felt the same.  That after school time is a caffeinated squirrel situation.  

The teacher in front of me said, "Hey!  It's Wednesday!"  Which is kind of a great discovery to make in a short week.

It's the kind of low bar celebration you need sometimes.