I could write about the wonderful break that Thanksgiving has been, the hour Daniel patiently spent in Christmas section at Wal-Mart, or my big hair cut, but I think a story from school is just what this post needs.
So...I have some pretty ornery boys in my Spanish class. Luckily they are separated and in different Spanish classes. However, we have a Seminar period that is about 30 minutes before lunch when students read, set academic and life goals, and do homework and I have two of my orneries during this time. It just so happens another one of my boys came in for help and they all managed to sit in the same pod of desks. I walked by to monitor their behavior and one boy had challenged another, we'll call them Burly and Smalls. Enjoy the events that transpired.
Smalls : "I bet you can pull me across the desk."
Burly: "You wanna bet little man. Hold on and I'll yank you right over."
Smalls grabs hold of Burly's fist and tug of war begins. Burly seems a bit surprised by the strength of Smalls and pulls even harder. Smalls continue to hold tight and then without warning lets go. Burly's fist goes flying into his chin and he hits himself harder than Smalls ever could have.
Burly: (laughing in disbelief) You...you little...(unable to say anything because he's shocked)
Smalls: (laughing just as hard) I can't believe you fell for it!
Me: Secretly thinks "That was the best thing I've seen in all year. I didn't know Smalls was that clever."
I don't know if you can fully appreciate this event, but for a group of boys who usually use their loudness and behavior to cause problems for others, having an event that turns their "energy" on each other was funny and intriguing. To make things better, a boy in yearbook was talking to me later in the afternoon and shared that he had exploded during another class. When I asked what had happened, he hold me a story identical to the fist punching prank that had transpired in my class only hours before. Once again, a smile was brought to my face as I pictured the scene and I smiled even bigger when I thought about it happening twice in one day.
Will this memory be one of my fondest from this year? Most definitely.
