This is what happens when you have a candle burning on your desk all morning, and then at lunchtime you blow it out and immediately leave the classroom for a few minutes.
You may also find drops of wax on the desk and on the floor. And you’ll find a troop of happy little girls proudly showing off their wax-coated finger tips. (I didn’t scold them, because I know how much fun it is to dip your fingers in candle wax. But I did make them clean the wax off the floor).
On my way back to my classroom just before discovering this, I met a group of giggling, ghostly-looking second-grade girls who had rubbed chalk all over their faces. I think it just might be time for spring to come so that we can send all our children out the door at lunchtime.
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We had a great time painting last week. My kids love paint. Actually, I love it too, and I think I had almost as much fun with this project as they did.
I like how the finished product brightens up the hallway now. And I like how I can see my students’ personalities coming out in these paintings.
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If you don’t believe that small things can make a big difference, try being a teacher when lice show up in your school. Be prepared to speak calming words to the mass hysteria and to assure everyone that being infected with lice is not fatal. Yes, we had some cases of lice in our school. For a few days it seemed that lice dominated every conversation, including the teachers’ hangout time after school. And we learned about all the lice-deterring home remedies, while girls came to school with hair smelling of oils, vinegar, and Listerine, and boys showed up sporting super-short haircuts. I think lice could correctly be spelled D-R-A-M-A.
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Josephine has been found at last, after being in hiding since the middle of December. The girls all knew where she was, because they had hidden her one day at lunchtime when the boys had already rushed off to play dodge ball. The boys mostly gave up looking for her. But then one day last week they finally found her. So Josephine is back with us, looking rather pleased with herself after her winter’s hibernation.
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And I’ll leave you with a misquotation of Bible memory by a student: “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my medication” (Psalm 119:99).