Bluffdale Elementary, where I teach, has been basing a lot of things lately on the theme, "Go Green!" So having kids recycle things really shouldn't come as a shock I know. However, I found myself being a bit surprised the other week:
It was a Thursday, we were cleaning up and getting ready to go home. It went like this:
2 boys: Miss Fisher, Miss Fisher! We'll take the recycling out.
Me: Well, the student council will do it tomorrow, so we can just wait.
2 boys: But it's overflowing and we can be back really fast.
Me: (realizing they just wanted to leave class and go outside together). Alright.
2 boys: YES! (and began walking very quickly, stoked about getting to do it)
Me: Wait. Turn around and look at me. (they did so). Make sure you take the box that says recycling and NOT reports.
2 boys: Ok, Ok. (still being very stoked about this opportunity)
Meanwhile, the remaining 28 students all had questions and all needed to talk to me. Everything was ready to go 20 seconds before the bell rang.
(The 2 boys enter the room. One of them carrying two state reports).
2 boys: Miss Fisher. We saved these for you, in case you wanted to use them for next year! (they were so proud of themselves)
Me: (looking a bit confused before it dawned on me). Hmm...which box did you boys take out?
2 boys: The one that said RE....repor.... oh!
*at this point the entire class knows what they have done and I'm hearing comments around the room such as: "Oh---you are busted!" and "Uh---oh!" *
THE BELL RINGS
Me: Awesome. See you tomorrow everyone! Boy #1, and Boy #2, come with me.
We took a quick stroll to the recycling dumpster and there sitting on top of all the ripped up paper, old newspapers, etc. were stacks of President and State reports. (A few of which had not been graded yet.) Now, luckily most of these reports were just copies that I have been getting ready for next year. But we're talking A LOT of new, organized, ready to go for next year, copies!
Well, my arms aren't very long, the dumpster wasn't very full, and the top of the dumpster was padlocked. You can see the predicament I was in. Thoughts of shoving one of my boys in the dumpster ran through my mind, but with parents picking up their kids, buses driving by, and the principal standing by the front doors, I decided it would be best to let them off the hook.
It turns out that our school doesn't have a key to that dumpster and it usually gets emptied at some point on Fridays (no one seemed to know exactly when.)
Well, with being a new teacher, and not part of the Union yet, I couldn't very well put one of my students in the dumpster (that just doesn't seem like job security to me).
So why the photos of a student in the dumpster?
I couldn't put a student in the dumpster who's parents don't know me. But luckily, a colleague of mine who has known me for a long time has a daughter in the 5th grade. I grabbed her out of class Friday morning and took her to the dumpster (this is after okaying it with her mom by the way). I have never seen someone get in and out of a small rectangular hole as fast as she did! Luckily she's small and has taken gymnastics in her lifetime. Worked out well for me :)
Thanks Katie!
Boy #1 and #2 thank you also!
I've decided that going green might not be such a bad thing after all.
