Teachers HATE St. Patrick's Day.
{Pinch}
Yep, it is really here.
When my first grade students arrive on this blessed day, I lay down some very basic, yet vital pinching ground rules:
1. There will be NO PINCHING!
2. I don't care if they are not wearing green, THERE WILL BE NO PINCHING!
3. If there are any questions, refer to rules 1 & 2.
- This never works -
By 10:00 my rug is soaked with the tears of 7-year-olds. It seems, they always find a perceived loophole.
"They said I wasn't wearing green, but I had it on my underwear!" [Kid then proceeds to give themselves a wedgie by pulling their underwear up over their jeans to prove it to me while I stand and cringe]
Today was a St. Patrick's Day miracle! In the morning, a dad came and blew up some Diet Coke with some Mentos (NOW, THAT NEVER GETS OLD!) and we then went a field trip. No one even had a chance to pinch or be pinched. I was amazed.
Now, what kind of sick, twisted Irish tradition is this that kids start bruising each other for no other reason except they may or may not be wearing the color green?! Upon doing some further research, I discovered the following:
The act of pinching on St. Patrick's day began in America with Irish settlers who tried to get their kids to behave by telling them that fairies would come pinch them.
The first question I have is obvious:
WHY WOULD THESE DOGS START THIS TRADITION AND HOW DO THEY PINCH WITHOUT THUMBS?! AND WHO LISTENS TO DOGS?
Secondly -
Pinching fairies? Every fairy I have ever known sprinkles glittery dust or gives you money... AND that includes Richard Simmons! (But he still owes me.)
8 comments:
I always hated when kids wore green in places you couldn't see at first glance (underwear!).
I would think you would hate St Patrick's Day because usually the naughty little Leprechauns come and destroy classrooms.
My favorite color is green and favorite number is 17. I don't think this has anything to do with St. Patrick's Day, but one has to wonder. As a retired sixth grade teacher, St. Patrick's Day was always a big deal. The poor kids who forgot to wear green were always begging for ribbon, etc. I always liked it when the 17th fell on Saturday or Sunday.
Whne I saw that it was a "miracle day", I tought for sure you would mention how they announced that they avoided raising class sizes and laying off teachers? For now, I guess.
I had to call my husband and tell him to make sure he wasn't wearing any green when he came home because my 8 yr old was dying to pinch someone.
Coke and Mentos? I don't remember seeing that one. Should I let my boys give it a try?
Welcome Betty. Feel free to comment anytime! I can't even imagine the pinching in 6th grade. They pinch HARD!
Tammy - I refuse to do the leprechaun thing. I think it is stupid. Sorry.
Jake - YES! We are all very excited, but weary of the school board's motives.
Tammy II - Just type in "Mentos and Diet Coke" into google and you will get hundreds of results. But here is just one example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWS0FZEqdJA
I told Jack about the pinching thing this year and he could not stop giggling about it all day. He seemed to think it was all a big joke and that I had just made it up. If it seems ridiculous to a five year old...
First ~ thanks for visiting my blog. =)
Second ~ St. Patrick's Day always falls during spring break for us and for that I am ever so grateful.
OK- I had to read this a couple times to get from Irish folklore to fairies to dogs. Maybe I celebrated a touch too much last Wednesday?
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