This has nothing to do with classroom management. I’ll just get that out in the open. But it made me smile, so I thought I’d pass it along. We all need to smile more, right?
I drink a lot of water during the course of my day (I hope you do too!). I found that it helps me be more patient and effective with my students (and my family when I get home). Recently I found some canned bubbly water that has no calories but is really refreshing- no this isn’t an ad for them. I started drinking them and found them wonderful, except when they got warm.
So I made a little can cooler out of an old styrofoam cup I’d had lying around. I cut that cup up and put it back together with duct tape to fashion an ugly little can cooler/coozie/hugger/whatever your region calls those things. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
Just this Monday, one of my quiet but smiley students came up to me at the beginning of class and whispered, “I’ve got something for you in my locker. Can I go get it?” She disappeared and reappeared moments later with the cutest little can cooler I’ve ever seen! It was in the shape of one of those aloha floral print button up shirts, complete with short sleeves, bright green with white flowers all over itl, and it fit my cans perfectly. I was so excited, as excited as only a teacher gets at these little moments of extreme thoughtfullness from his students.
I couldn’t help but show it off to all my students that day, who were appropriately unimpressed but smiled at how impressed I was. And I took it with me to lunch to show off at the teacher table. I couldn’t help myself from taking some slow, ostentatious drinks with my new can cooler. I don’t really think the others were envious, but I sure acted as if they should be!
Teaching can be tough, and sometimes, it’s the littlest things that can make your day. Now, every time I take a sip from my canned water, I can’t help but smile.
Darren B.