Eyes on the Prizes

The junior high's Family Reading night is coming up, and my dear, sweet, NFL brother has once again sent some awesome prizes for the kidlets to win. The box containing those prizes arrived just as my 2B class was getting ready to take their final. We had already done a quick whole-group review, and the kidlets were working on getting their names and student numbers on their test forms, so I figured I would take the opportunity to crack the box open and see what he had sent.

Turns out, I should have waited. Once the kidlets found out from whence the box had come, they kind of freaked out. Just picture a classroom full of seventh graders doing the happy puppy dance...

So I thought that if I showed them what was in the box, they would get the wiggles out of their systems and then get down to the business of taking their test.

I showed them the hats... and they oohed and ahhhed.

.Then I showed them the gloves... and they squealed those high-pitched 7th grade squeals.

And when I say "they", I mean the 7th grade boys.

And when I showed them the cleats, they totally lost it.

I was sure I was going to have to call the custodians to have them clean up puddles of piddle from underneath their desks.

So the next ten minutes of what should have been testing time went something like this...

Every 7th Grade Boy: Can I try on a pair of the gloves?

Me: No. You need to take your test.

Every 7th Grade Boy: Can I wear one of the hats while I take my test?

Me: No. They are prizes for Family Reading Night. Only the people who win them get to wear them.

Every 7th Grade Boy: But I will do a lot better on my test if I am wearing one.

Me: You will do better on your test if you will actually TAKE your test. Now would be a good time to start.

Every 7th Grade Boy: Can I take of picture of the cleats with my phone?

Me: No. This is test time. Not shoe-selfie time.

Every 7th Grade Boy: If I hurry and take my test really fast, can I take a picture of the cleats with my phone.

Me: No. If you hurry and take your test really fast I will use the cleats to stand on your phone.

Eventually they did settle down and get down to business. And eventually I got the prizes moved out of my classroom and into the trophy case so they could stop distracting my kidlets from their tests... and start distracting the basketball team from getting on their bus on time.

While I am relieved to have the objects of so many kidlet's affection out of my classroom, and I am sure the custodians who who have clean the finger prints and nose prints off the glass, and mop up the pools of drool from the carpet.

So I guess it won't just be the winners who are happy when Family Reading Night ends Thursday night. Although they will certainly be the happiest.