Last Friday

I spent the day today in middle school, subbing for a friend. Mind you, subbing on the last Friday of the school year is not for the faint of heart (Lordy-- teaching on the last Friday of the year is not for the faint of heart!), but my friend was of the same philosophy that I was, which is to keep 'em learning up to the end. That meant that there was work to do and understanding to demonstrate, organized into the familiar structure and procedures of the class. 

The only outlier in that model was me.

Some of the kids knew me from my long-term sub job in science, but some didn't. For the most part, it wasn't too hard to keep the classes orderly and productive; I came prepared with both strategies to give breaks and activities that rewarded assignment completion. Even so, (and hardly surprisingly) some of the students challenged me. 

When, after a series of obnoxious comments, one kid stole a piece of candy from another, claiming that "he didn't know it was hers," I gave him a choice of a call to the assistant principal or lunch detention. He opted for the second option and then returned to work. When he didn't give me any trouble for the rest of the class, I pulled him aside and told him he had earned his lunch back.

"Awww," he smirked, "I really wanted to come and finish my assignment."

"That's awesome," I congratulated him with a laugh, "but I don't want to spend any more time with you today!"