always look under the tissue

So a little story from my week of teaching.
Each day after the 8th graders eat lunch we go outside for the last 15-20 minutes of lunch period for a little play time. This is my absolute favorite part of the day. I just love watching the students become little kids again and just laugh and play. Sometimes I play with them. Last Friday was just a gorgeous day outside and I was just dying to stay outside for forever, but alas eventually the bell rings signifying the end of lunch and the start of my 7th period history class. My last real class of the day.
7th period is a little tough. I am bored with what I am teaching because I have already been doing it 3 times. The kids are wound up from lunch and play and are ready for the day to be over. I find myself telling more stories that somewhat relate to what we are learning and somehow 7th period is always behind the other classes. One day I was reviewing a reading strategy with them that they did last year and they apparently all hated it but yet it is a good method to use so I said sometimes we have to do things we don't like and they may be hard but in the end they are good for us even if we don't think so at the time. Of course I had to tell them a story to make my point. I told them about when I was a junior in high school and it was a tough year because of my friends and how I felt lonely but I grew really close to God. But here's a little tip. Don't start a serious real life example with "When I was a Junior in high school I had no friends..." Everyone started laughing...hahaha Miss Holcombe didn't have any friends. I think they totally missed my point. Now they don't let me forget it. Thanks 7th period. I had almost gotten over my low self esteem jr. year but now I am constantly reminded every week but those little rascals :).

Okay, but now for the real story. So on Friday after the bell rang for 7th period, I make my way to my classroom. Several of the students were already in the room so I tell them to get seated and get started on their beginning assignment. Well I notice that there is a tissue on the keyboard of my computer on my desk. "Hmm..." I thought to myself, "I don't remember leaving a tissue there. But I actually kind of do need to blow my nose so maybe I should go pick it up and use it in a few minutes." I really did think that to myself. As I am watching the kids get started I notice a few girls turned around looking at something in the back of the room. "I wonder what they are looking at," I thought. These girls just had looks of absolute horror on their faces. Not wanting to make a big deal about it I ignored them, grabbed the tissue off my computer and was about to blow my nose when I notice the whole class turned around looking at the back of the room. Now I was really nervous. What was going on? What were they looking at? I follow the direction of their eyes and gasp when I see a HUGE bright green, fat caterpillar crawling on my computer. Picture that big fat caterpillar from A Bug's Life...what's his name? Hermie? Or something like that. That is what was on my computer. Now I am not usually freaked out by bugs but one of my deep somewhat irrational fears is of things that are abnormally large and this was abnormally large. "Someone take it outside!" I say. This boy rushes up scoops up the little crawly guy and takes him outside or so I assume.

The class is pretty worked up by now which honestly I kind of liked because the day was getting a little boring anyway. Eventually we have class. They have been working on some projects and we just did that. Well toward the end of class I notice the boy reaching into his sweatshirt pocket. "Trevor (not his real name), did you put the caterpillar in your pocket?" I ask calmly. He slowly pulls out his hand and sure enough sucking on his fingers is the fat monster itself. Then the bell rang and I was done.

don't use a tissue unless you know what was under the tissue. Also, try not to be as gullible as me.