Valentine's Day Happenings

Well, another one over with at school. Whew! I should get double pay on party day. The whole school was wound up even before the first bell. My fourth grade students knew that our party would be at 1:30, but that didn't stop them from asking if they could start passing out their valentines at 8:00 a.m. Did I do that in school? Did I drive my teacher crazy? With all of the treats they brought in, they had too much to eat. Most managed to gobble down the cupcake and nibbled on the iced cookie before they tore into their valentines. Remember when the valentines were individuals, and you could match each one to your classmates? And remember the fun of stuffing the valentines into envelopes that didn't quite fit or made you fold the card where it wasn't marked? Well, not the ones today. The whole box is themed and no envelopes. I gave my students the Twisted Dogs and Cats. I picked them up on sale one year. They seemed to delight in them, and I did try to match each ugly bulging face to each personality. Wonder if they will figure that out? As the party was in full blast, several adults stopped in to say that our room was the quietest on the whole floor. (Tell my head that, would you.) We did have fun and were able to enjoy one another's company without too much noise. The kids even liked the one game that I played with them: tear a heart from red construction paper while holding it behind your back and without folding it. A few turned out to look like the traditional heart while others were various renditions of famous artists. The most surprising thing was to hear the class utter in unison, "I can't." Would you think it devious to post the hearts on the wall outside our room for all to admire? Me neither.