Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Need a Giggle? (A Cringe Worthy Story and a FREEBIE)

I'm joining Carolyn at Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together who is hosting her first ever linky to share favorite funny school stories.  What a fun idea!
I've been teaching for thirteen years.  Most of my time has been with little kids in first.  Little kids have some very interesting stories from home.  With my daughter starting kindergarten next year, I shutter to think what she will be saying.  Anyhow, the story I want to share is not one told to me by one of my firsties.  It is one that played out in the last few minutes of the last day before winter break during my second year teaching.
A grandmother had volunteered that morning.  She left around lunch time and ask if she could bring goodie bags back for the kids.  How nice!  Certainly you little sweet grandmother, you can bring goodie bags.  Later that day someone from the office brought a box of brown lunch sacks, stapled closed, to my class.  These were the goodie bags.  I put the box on top of a book shelf and forgot all about it.
At the end of the day, we were packing and stacking and lining up to go home.  One of my students reminded me about the box of goodie bags.  The bell rang and I hurriedly passed a bag to every student.  Most of the kids went out the door to line up in their dismissal areas, but a few stayed behind and opened their (let me remind you brown lunch sacks, stapled closed) goodie bags.
Inside was a pencil, a Hi-C juice box, and a pack on candy cigarettes.  I'm not talking the politically correct candy sticks.  The candy cigarettes that my kids had in their possession had packaging that looked like real cigarettes.
I panicked.  I grabbed my treasure chest and started offering my remaining students multiple treats from the treasure chest in exchange for the candy cigarettes.  There were no takers.  
Then one student in particular dawned on me.  We'll call her  M .  M 's mom was  v e r y  picky with what she was exposed to.  For example, she told me she really wasn't crazy about me reading Junie B. Jones to the class because Junie B. seemed disrespectful.  And now candy cigarettes were on the way home with  M .
I ran out to the car rider line, still carrying my treasure chest.  I had to find  M  and get those cigarettes.  When I finally found her she was standing on the sidewalk acting like she was smoking one.  I walked over to her and said, " M  maybe we should trade some things from the treasure chest for those cigarettes because I don't think your mom with think those are appropriate."   M  said, "That's OK.  I'll just save them for when I play dress up."  Then she stuck them in her backpack.  (gulp) 

I learned my lesson that day.  Always check goodie bags before sending them home.  But good grief, where do you even get twenty packs of real candy cigarettes (without going to some specialty shop online, which I know she did not have time to do)?

Epilogue:  I talked to M 's mom and explained everything.  She was cool.  I told my principal about it as well, just in case she got any phone calls.  I never heard anything. 


On another note . . .
I just finished my second word work unit for Teachers Pay Teachers.  It is called Blast Off with AU and AW.  It includes mini lesson ideas, literacy centers, and printable worksheets.  If you would like to check it out, you can click on the picture below.

If you would like a FREEBIE from this unit, you can click on the picture below.  
It is one in a series of sorting printables available in this packet.

Thanks for reading.  Be sure to check out the other stories at Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together.  Better yet, link up your own funny story.
Best.

9 comments:

  1. LOL that candy cigarette story is so funny! I would have done exactly what you did - I am glad that no parents reacted... but it does make you question what is going through some people's heads!

    Happy Tuesday!
    Annie
    Three Cheers for First Grade!

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  2. Thank you so much for linking up! You started my day off PERFECTLY. :) Oh my gosh I can imagine just how you felt! :) Don't you wonder sometimes what people are thinking? But then again, if it were just a normal, nice goodie bag, you wouldn't have that great memory! I love your TPT unit, too! It looks great.
    Thanks again,
    CarolynKindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together

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  3. Ha! I'm sure you were in panic mode! Great story! Naturally the one child with the overprotective mom was the one smoking in front of everyone! Your TPT unit is very cute. Anything with astronauts is a big hit with my kids!

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  4. I found your blog and this story is hilarious, but I am sure it was not at the time. We as teachers always seem to find ourselves in many situations.

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  5. Oh wow- that story is too funny- I would've panicked big time as well!
    Aylin
    Learning to the Core

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  6. OH...ALL of us reading that post feel for you in that moment of panic! You were so gracious - I think I probably would have just grabbed the pack of cigarettes right out of her little hand!
    Thanks for the great story and the warning!

    Susanna
    Whimsy Workshop 

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  7. Today we had a kiddo bring goodie bags (that were stapled shut) for his birthday. I opened them and checked out the contents...because of this post. You just don't think these kinds of thins would happen!!! Luckily he had a pencil, eraser, and a few pieces of candy inside. Such a great story!
    Tamra and Sarah
    First Grade Buddies

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  8. That is hilarious! I would have been a nervous wreck with some of the kids parents that I had this year! Yikes. I'm so glad everything worked out okay! lol

    imgoingfirst@gmail.com

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  9. That is a funny story. I think we have all had a moment like that. BTW...Dollar Tree sells those cigarettes.

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