Yesterday, I was in a goofy mood without even realizing it. It was the end of my first week back at work after 16 days of Spring Break, and even now I still am not back on schedule. Without planning to, I made a ridiculous joke to my group of 11 third graders in response to hearing my name called; it started with: "Who's Ms. Christina?"
"You are!" they shouted
"No, I'm Ms. Eleanor. I'm Ms. Christina's twin; she's sorry she couldn't be here today."
<laughter>
"Well how come you look like her then?" they asked
"We're twins- identical."
"How come you have on her shirt?!"
"We're close; we share clothes."
"Ms. Eleanor, do you like cats?"
"No- can't stand them- love dogs!"
<hysterical laughter>
one very quippy kiddo said,"Ms Eleanor, can we watch movies and play games? Ms. Christina always let's us do that."
"Oh, you must be 'L…' Ms. Christina told me about you and that you might like to fool me since I'm new."
<more hysterical laughter>
***** This went on for a good 20 minutes all the while getting work done… we went over their Weekly Reader issues (current events magazine), and they set up for a spelling test****
"C'mon Stephanie, set your notebook up…" (I said this to a girl with a different "S" name)
"Who's STEPHANIE?!" they yelled
"Oh, silly me, I'm still learning your names, I apologize." I said.
etc., etc., etc.
We had fun. They laughed. We went through their spelling tests & had a successful class. Of course, for those doubting, I came clean at the end and said I "really AM Ms. Christina."
At the very end of the day, which consists of buckling hoards of children into their respective vehicles so they can drive off into their weekends, I happened to have "L…" in my car line; the girl trying to get games & candy out of me. As I put her in her car, she thanked me and told me to "have a nice weekend." And being on point like she always is, stuck her head out the window and added, "Ms. Eleanor." <smirk>.
Unpredictable fun & humor is requisite for living. It can be memorable in lasting ways such as fond memories an adult has of their former teachers. It's not relegated to kids or clowns; it's for everyone. I often take note of the fact that adults frequently neglect to realize they're smiling at something/someone until they see a child smiling back at them. On that idle Friday, after a tiring week, I wanted to have fun without planning to. I did. And in my mind, it's always the best kind of fun to have.
~ Ms. Eleanor