I always say there are three days I kind of hate to be a middle school teacher: Valentines Day, St. Patrick's Day, and April Fool's Day. On those silly, minor holidays, the tweens that I teach just
lose.
their.
minds.
I understand their enthusiasm: the festivities of those days are social and peer-centered, and they give the kids a chance to start celebrating independently of their families. It's almost a rite of passage.
And yet...
Because it is so novel an experience, the kids are not good at regulating their excitement and they do ridiculous things.
For example this Valentine's Day morning a student in my homeroom asked me to hold her bag of chocolate bars, treats she had brought for her friends and teachers, while she went to her locker. I took the bag without hesitation, happy to help. "Don't let anything happen to them!" she told me handing the candy over. "Don't let anybody take them, and do not eat them!"
I gave her my best as if look.
She tapped my nose. "Or you'll be fired!" she warned me, and literally spun on her heel to make way to her locker.
lose.
their.
minds.
I understand their enthusiasm: the festivities of those days are social and peer-centered, and they give the kids a chance to start celebrating independently of their families. It's almost a rite of passage.
And yet...
Because it is so novel an experience, the kids are not good at regulating their excitement and they do ridiculous things.
For example this Valentine's Day morning a student in my homeroom asked me to hold her bag of chocolate bars, treats she had brought for her friends and teachers, while she went to her locker. I took the bag without hesitation, happy to help. "Don't let anything happen to them!" she told me handing the candy over. "Don't let anybody take them, and do not eat them!"
I gave her my best as if look.
She tapped my nose. "Or you'll be fired!" she warned me, and literally spun on her heel to make way to her locker.
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