Ummm...TGIF...?

Okay, so I have to tell you what I did last Friday. (I know, it's almost THIS Friday, but this is how my life is August through May...on a one week time delay.)

So, if you haven't heard, my class this year is...how shall I put this...less than perfect. They like to talk. A lot. Like, all the time. This drives me slightly insane. A lot. I have not found anything yet to persuade them that they shouldn't do this. I have tried a lot of things. A lot.

So last Friday we were going along, we had lunch, came back from lunch. They talked, I threatened. They ignored, they talked. It's pretty much routine by this point in the year already.

Anyway, we come back from lunch, we take our spelling test, we work on our time lines, we start a writing assignment, we do some other things, etc.

Soon I look at the clock and see that it's quarter till. So I say "Okay, it's time to get cleaned up!" So, I pass out their Friday paperwork, they get their backpacks, I call them to line up, they stack their chairs (the whole shebang).

So, like every other day we start walking down the hallway to dismiss. I send the kids that ride the bus up to the bus hallway.

While I'm standing there in the hallway waiting for them to settle down so we can walk all the way out, one of the other teachers comes out and says, "Are we supposed to be somewhere?"

I scratch my head, confused, "What...?" I asked.

"Where are you going? Is there an assembly or something?" she persists. Now I'm really confused. Why would there be an assembly at the end of the day?

At the blank expression on my face, she gets a pitying look in her eyes. "It's only 2:00 Mrs. Ames..." she smiles sweetly.

"Wha...huh...I..." I stammer intelligently as I look at my watch and will it to NOT say 2:01. Now that I think of it, I didn't hear a bell ring. And the hallways ARE awfully empty...

Finally, I resign myself to the fact that it's NOT dismissal time yet. So, I turn the troop around, march them back into the class.

"Quick! Run up and get the bus kids!" I shouted hurriedly to one student. "Before anyone else sees how stupid your teacher is!" I wanted to add.

The kids, of course, thought this was hilarious. Once I got over my confusion I did too, actually.

The best part was that once we got back in and settled down I asked the class "Okay, so did anyone NOTICE that it was only 2:00 instead of 3:00?"

About 10 hands shot up.

Hmmpphh. Third graders.