Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Slice

The setting: The normal furor of the 1st grade classroom.  Amidst flying papers and heated juvenile emotions, I frantically, desperately try to gain control.  I look around and only a handful of students bother to listen.

As I clasp my hands on my head, Dwayne trots up to me and beckons.  He looks up at me with his saucer-like basset hound eyes and in a hushed tone he whispers, "Mr. Lim, you're going to have a hard time getting Sharice and Trevell to do work today because they're boyfriend and girlfriend."

I look over and Sharice is sitting quietly with her hands folded -- a smile painted on her face that would let her get away with murder.  Trevell is doing something crazy -- probably slapping the student next to him or gyrating on the dreadfully dirty floor.

Ah first grade.  Where love was just a word printed on pink cards and all it takes to start a fight is who holds possession to the book "Sinbad the Pig".  

These kids have no idea what they're in for.