I learned an important lesson recently.
When introducing a new math unit to the second graders that I student teach, I used a bakery theme to make things more interesting. I talked about donuts, cookies and cakes, and by the second day, the entire class was convinced that I had promised them donuts.
Not so.
However, about a week later, I did tell them that if they all passed their upcoming math test, I would bring donuts in for everyone.
Well, the students did an AWESOME job on their test.
I strategically showed up at the grocery store that night at the very moment when donut prices dropped to $0.25 each and guiltily packed away all but three of the donuts while other would-be donut buyers walked away defeated.
The next morning at school I had this great idea that if I hid the donut boxes in the back of the room on the floor, nobody would find them.
Well, the kids did find them...and so did a few hundred ants.
So when it should have been time to celebrate having mastered the art of three-digit subtraction, I was struggling to appease a classroom full of eight year old ant haters. Thankfully my mentor teacher had time to pick up new donuts and put on a Magic Schoool Bus video all about an ant colony. So it turned out to be somewhat educational for all of us.
And the next day, when the students each wrote advice to me on how I can be a better teacher, one of them wrote, "Buy ant killer spray!"
So learn from me : do not leave food on the floor unless you plan on never seeing it again.
Oh, and always buy the budget donuts.
I strategically showed up at the grocery store that night at the very moment when donut prices dropped to $0.25 each and guiltily packed away all but three of the donuts while other would-be donut buyers walked away defeated.
The next morning at school I had this great idea that if I hid the donut boxes in the back of the room on the floor, nobody would find them.
Well, the kids did find them...and so did a few hundred ants.
So when it should have been time to celebrate having mastered the art of three-digit subtraction, I was struggling to appease a classroom full of eight year old ant haters. Thankfully my mentor teacher had time to pick up new donuts and put on a Magic Schoool Bus video all about an ant colony. So it turned out to be somewhat educational for all of us.
And the next day, when the students each wrote advice to me on how I can be a better teacher, one of them wrote, "Buy ant killer spray!"
So learn from me : do not leave food on the floor unless you plan on never seeing it again.
Oh, and always buy the budget donuts.
