Sparks flew in the classroom when I gave the students balloons. How could I be so dumb?
I didn't realize that in a split second sweet, well-behaved children could go wild.
I did my student teaching in a mountain school. The fourth graders were adorable. They wrote me love notes and hugged me, They peeked out the window and raced to meet me each morning when I pulled into the parking lot. The children carried my lunch and held my hand as we walked into the building.
I asked my supervisor if I could bring the students a surprise for being so well- behaved. She agreed and told me not to bring any sweets because Danny had sugar diabetes.
That afternoon I stopped at the Dollar Store. It was hard finding something without sugar. I saw some balloons and decided to get those for the kids.
The next day right before the students were dismissed from school, I gave out the balloons. The children were so happy and excited to get a surprise.
But sparks flew. It was complete chaos in the classroom. The children blew the balloons up, made squeaking noises, let them fly like UFO's, and popped the balloons. I couldn't believe how the kids went wild.
My supervisor teacher gave me the look, "It's your problem," and headed out the door. She left me alone to deal with the problem.
Thank goodness, I was saved by the dismissal bell. The kids charged out the door, ran down the hall popping balloons. The principal yelled, "Who gave you those balloons?"
I never confessed to handing out those balloons to the children. That was a lesson I would never forget. As long as I taught school, I never gave the students balloons again as a reward for good behavior.
This is a true story and I hope my blogger friends got a chuckle from this little story.
