April Fool's Day

I survived April Fool's Day.  I was really worried because my class had been asking the Librarian for prank books, whispering to each other all week, and generally trying to figure out how to get me.  I love a good prank, provided no one gets hurt- physically or emotionally.  The thing is third graders ideas usually involve bugs or toilet paper or both.  Come to think of it my son probably would use bugs and toilet paper in a prank as well.  I can handle a plastic bug or two, no real ones please.  I can handle a little toilet paper strewn about.  What troubled me was what I should do back.  You have to be really careful.  I didn't want to really hurt anyone's feelings, and you never know when a prank will backfire that way. 

Finally my team teaching buddy and I decided to give them a math "quiz".  It had 49 problems, all pretty big and hairy for third grade.  The directions said "Read every problem first.  Then solve the problems."  There was some more direction about scrap paper and writing answers, but question number 49 said to skip questions 1-48, get a book and read quietly.  It told them to be really secretive about it.  Well, I passed them out, going on about how they needed to do their best work.  I even reminded them to read the directions before they started.  Not a single child did!  I was amazed.  They all got right to work on solving the problems.  One or two got a little upset at a couple of the harder ones.  I just reminded them that each one was only worth about 2 point so they could just skip it and go on to the next one, then come back later and figure it out. 

I let them work for about 20 minutes before I told them the secret.  Almost all of them thought it was hilarious.  A couple said they knew it, but did the work anyway- a bald faced lie, they had never turned over their papers, but what does it matter.  One child said that I gave him a headache- he was a little upset about it.  I am not sure why he got upset.  My best guess is that he just didn't like it that I "won" one.  He is kind of competitive that way.

They did get me a couple of times, there were several plastic tarantulas that kept appearing, and one plastic snake showed up.  They also did some lovely sign taping on my back- it was cute though it said to say "Hi" to me.  And of course there was the ever present look over there-  made you look, April fool's.  Overall we had a really fun day.  No one really got out of hand.  I did mark every answer wrong on the child's test who really tormented me with a tarantula- then I asked what happened.  His eyes got big, he was shocked till he saw my April Fool note. 

I hope that for years to come they will remember that we had fun together in third grade, including April Fool's Day.  I hope they will know that I cared enough about them to play along.  School should be fun!  Not every minute, but there should be fun incorporated.  I may never be teacher of the year, I may not be the best  teacher, but I hope that my class will remember third grade fondly. 

Oh, and the best part of my day-  at 1:41, 5 minutes before I was supposed to leave for Spring Break, the custodian said, "They told you we are moving all the furniture out of your room to do the floor over Spring Break right?"  Nope, "they" didn't.  Surprise, and not an April Fool.  I did the best super fast clean up I could, but I am dreading what I am going to find after the break. 

Tomorrow Belle leaves for Italy so I am planning to have a blissfully uneventful week at home to catch up on all the stuff that needs to get done around here!  I am going to sleep late, clean a little, catch up with some old friends, and basically be totally selfish for 1 whole week.  I will miss Belle, but I am excited for my super selfish Spring Break.  I will keep you all updated!