Ah, the first of April, April Fools Day. What fond memories I have of this day. As a former teacher for over 31 years of 9 & 10 year old kids, I’m sure you can imagine I have seen it all! I mean everything. There were of course the usual suspects such as chalk in the blackboard erasers (they don’t even have chalk & blackboards anymore!); soap added to my coffee mug; children writing different names on their papers; everyone sitting backward in their seats; reports that the principal wanted to see me immediately (I’ve actually pulled that one on a few kids!); notes in their handwriting purportedly from their parents saying they’re not to have homework that night, etc, etc. But there’s one April Fool’s joke I’ll never forget. It was pulled off by a quiet little girl named Christie. What made the joke so effective was that you’d never in a million years suspect this girl of being capable of doing anything even remotely wrong. She was the kind of student you wanted to clone and keep for your entire career. So when she presented me with a piece of chocolate layer cake I didn’t suspect a thing. Besides she was always bringing me cupcakes, cookies, brownies, stuff like that because my sweet tooth among students far and wide was legendary. So when I bit into this tasty morsel, I certainly didn’t expect that between the layers of cake and chocolate was hot, hot, hot, horse radish!!! As I stood there turning red and choking, she & the rest of the class erupted in gales of laughter that pretty much disrupted the two classrooms on either side of me plus a couple across the hall. Everyone jumped up and ran into my room to see this hilarious situation (to them!) unfold. Once I regained composure, I congratulated Christie for her ingenuity. She promptly ratted out her mother but I reminded her that she was an accomplice so she happily took part of the credit. They don’t make jokes like that anymore. I often wonder what little (now big) Christie is doing. I hope every April Fools Day she sits quietly for a moment or two with a smile on her face that everyone wonders about.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April Fools Day- No Foolin'
Ah, the first of April, April Fools Day. What fond memories I have of this day. As a former teacher for over 31 years of 9 & 10 year old kids, I’m sure you can imagine I have seen it all! I mean everything. There were of course the usual suspects such as chalk in the blackboard erasers (they don’t even have chalk & blackboards anymore!); soap added to my coffee mug; children writing different names on their papers; everyone sitting backward in their seats; reports that the principal wanted to see me immediately (I’ve actually pulled that one on a few kids!); notes in their handwriting purportedly from their parents saying they’re not to have homework that night, etc, etc. But there’s one April Fool’s joke I’ll never forget. It was pulled off by a quiet little girl named Christie. What made the joke so effective was that you’d never in a million years suspect this girl of being capable of doing anything even remotely wrong. She was the kind of student you wanted to clone and keep for your entire career. So when she presented me with a piece of chocolate layer cake I didn’t suspect a thing. Besides she was always bringing me cupcakes, cookies, brownies, stuff like that because my sweet tooth among students far and wide was legendary. So when I bit into this tasty morsel, I certainly didn’t expect that between the layers of cake and chocolate was hot, hot, hot, horse radish!!! As I stood there turning red and choking, she & the rest of the class erupted in gales of laughter that pretty much disrupted the two classrooms on either side of me plus a couple across the hall. Everyone jumped up and ran into my room to see this hilarious situation (to them!) unfold. Once I regained composure, I congratulated Christie for her ingenuity. She promptly ratted out her mother but I reminded her that she was an accomplice so she happily took part of the credit. They don’t make jokes like that anymore. I often wonder what little (now big) Christie is doing. I hope every April Fools Day she sits quietly for a moment or two with a smile on her face that everyone wonders about.
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1 comment:
Great story! Her smile today will be reflective of the positive impact you have had on her life and so many lives. Hey, was in red or white horseradish?
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