You're a Mean One, Miss Smith...

Okay so this week I've totally given in to the holiday madness and have started playing Christmas holiday songs at various times during the day. Like in writing workshop. And in math. And when the firsties won't stop talking. I just turn the music up really loud so I can't hear them and pretend they are diligently writing complete sentences with capitals and periods. No, not really, but I do keep bribing them with the music to keep them quiet and make sure the music is super low so one kid will invariably complain and I can say, "Maybe you should stop talking so you can hear the music?"

Which brings me to my thorn for today. I spent all Monday day and afternoon (okay technically night since I stayed at school until like 7:30) Cricutting away crafts for the kids to assemble during reading. We made Cara Carroll-inspired Grinches as a reading response for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," where they had to say what made them feel like a Grinch. Yesterday I modeled the response (I feel like a Grinch when my first grade friends don't sit criss cross applesauce on the rug and talk when I'm reading a story,"), had volunteers share some of their responses ("My sister doesn't help me clean our room," "My brother scratches me,") and thought all was weel in the world. THEN, today I ask who would like to share what they did during reading. Here is what one my precious students wrote for his Grinch:

WHAT?!!! I had a moral crisis. Am I a Grinch? Do I really yell? 

In my defense, here's what I think happened:

1. Someone at the table figured out how to spell "yell"
2. Everyone copies word "yell" to show that they know how to spell it, too.

And, little firstie, the only time I came close to yelling was during the Thanksgiving Feast saga when you were all crawling on top of each other throwing corn at each other. Totally justified.

I gave them all Lifesavers at the end of the day to make myself feel like I wasn't such a Grinch--didn't work, I still feel Grinchy. Tomorrow I am determined to change this student's mind (and definitely change his paper when he isn't looking.)

But at least the Grinch is ADORABLE!