Post winter break

While there was excitement before the winter break over the homework I'd given my students, to my dismay only a very small percentage of students in each of my classes completed and submitted it in time. As promised, I rewarded them with gift-wrapped pencils, erasers and magic pops (candy that pops in your mouth). It was a funny encounter with the 3rd graders. I'd called up the seven students during break and told them they were in for a thrashing. I asked them to reflect upon what it was that they had done wrong that day. They actually came up with reasons!



'Miss I didn't attempt all the questions in today's test,' said one.

'Miss I keep talking in the back,' said another.

So I said, 'Alright then, since you know you all did something wrong, get ready for the beating. Let me warm up my hands.' I started rubbing my hands.

Seeing the smile playing at my lips, the students mimicked me and rubbed their own hands together until one of them went, 'We should warm up our faces!' and started rubbing his hands on his cheeks. The others followed suit. I was amused and they could see it.

'I'm just kidding, I called you all here to reward you for being the only ones to have completed and turned in their homework on time.' Then I distributed the presents to them. They were overjoyed and said their thank-yous. I told them to keep up the good work.

The best part of the day was when some of the other students who had not done their homework saw the gifts in the hands of the privileged few, they came up to me and said 'Miss, I wanted it too!' and I had to tell them why they hadn't received any reward, hoping that this will create in them the motivation to work harder.