Three more days

My students earn letters for being stellar in their specialty classes (and in the hall to and from specialties).  We spell words with the letters and then they get a prearranged and voted on reward. 

If they're being particularly rotten, they can lose a letter.  I don't know if this year's class has lost a letter yet, because they're really pretty well behaved, but yesterday they lost a letter.  It was one of those you-could-have-heard-a-pin-drop moments.

I said, "Unfortunately it was the boys who made you lose the letter, so I'm sorry about that girls."

Cue side eyes from the girls.  I might as well recruit them to help me wrangle the wild boys.

They've all been a little wild.  Janelle and I were saying after school that they need a spring break.  They need to reset.

Then we admitted maybe we need a spring break too.

It's felt like a slog but we're doing it.  We're ticking off days and weeks and standards from the curriculum taught.  Standards retained remains to be seen.  We're going to keep trying.

Sometimes I remember what champions they are though.  They are little troopers!  On Monday, since restrictions for schools have altered a little, we were allowed to have a brief school assembly to recognize and award the Battle of the Books winners.  You would have thought I announced that Santa Claus was coming.  My students were over the moon excited about an assembly.  In typical years, we have an assembly every Monday.  No one is ever that excited about them; they are usually nothing too special (except for when the BYU dunk team comes).  I realized that they were so excited about the assembly because it felt like a return to normal.  I admire those little souls.  They doggedly wear their masks and refill their water bottles because they can't use the water fountains and social distance at lunch.  They do it all without complaint.

I remember that they're tired of it just like we all are when there is palpable euphoria just because they can gather with the other classes in the gym and clap for the Battle of the Books winners.  

Maybe I'll let them earn back that lost letter.