Swapped

I arrived at the continuation high school. Checked in. The secretary informed me that I was going to cover a different teacher than I had been told. I laughed.

Considering how the week before Thanksgiving break had gone thus far, I should have expected this.

Most of the time I get assignments several days ahead. Before the week, I had every day for the week scheduled. Only Monday went as planned.

Tuesday at check in, the secretary informed me that the teacher I was there to cover wasn't going to the thing he would have needed a sub for. Naturally, this was the one day where all the teachers were covered. (There are many days where there are more teachers out than there are subs.)

I have been in this position before. (It doesn't happen as often as it used to, though.) They found office work for me until another teacher had to leave unexpectedly. As it turned out, it was a very lucky thing that I was there.

Wednesday I was supposed to cover the same teacher as Tuesday. But, knowing the issue ahead, I was able to get my Wednesday assignment switched by Tuesday afternoon.

As for Friday, I got the heads-up for that on Monday. I was to cover 7th grade science for Mr. N. The secretary informed me that she was going to switch me to Ms. D who also teaches 7th grade science. Ms. D had requested me (and had put the request in ages ago).

So, yeah, I shouldn't have been surprised to get that switch on Thursday.

I like knowing where I'm going so I can set my alarm, get up at a leisurely pace, and get to the schools in plenty of time. (It can be a mad scramble when I get called that morning.) But once I'm at the schools, it doesn't much matter to me if I'm swapped from one teacher to another. I walk into classes cold most of the time anyway.

This is the life of a sub. Every day is different.

Seen it Before

I was back in Ms. B's special ed class. 5th period started with us watching CNN 10 (it's a 10 minute digital news show created for the classroom). As I had covered the class before, I knew to get that cued up and ready, so I did that during 4th period.

5th period started. We turned on the projector. Turned out the lights. And played the video.

"We've seen this already."

Theresa's complaint was loud. She turned to the instructional aide (IA). The IA told Theresa to settle down and watch. But Theresa wouldn't settle. She moaned. She was bored. She'd seen it before, so she didn't need to pay attention.

However, no one else in the class seemed to be familiar with the stories.

After the video finished, I minimized the video. I had to be sure. Had I selected the wrong video?

Nope. Right on the screen was that day's date. And all this was still projected to the class, so I called Theresa's attention to it.

"Read that right there," I directed.

She dutifully read the date. "This is today's clip," I said. I then proceeded to explain that perhaps CNN had gone over a story they'd shown previously.

At which point Theresa remembered that she had previewed the video earlier. Herself.

(After we finish watching the video, each student has to talk about something they saw. This can be challenging for them. And as the clips are readily accessible, it would have been easy for anyone to see them before 5th period.)

On the one hand, clever of her to prepare. But, if she was going to "cheat", she should have remembered that that's why she'd seen it all before.

Doing it Wrong

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

It was Thanksgiving, and I was working on another jellyfish. Talk turned to crafty/yarny projects. And what crafts everyone used to do. Someone came up with this question, and I thought, "perfect". I'm deliberately leaving the "it" unspecified so the question can be applied to just about anything...

What if you've been doing it wrong this whole time?

Updating Pictures, Part 7

Remember the mini backpack? I fixed it...

It looks a whole lot better now...

These are kind of fun to make, so if anyone wants one...

I also restocked the unicorn gift card holder...

Crochet Unicorn Gift Card Holder

Listed another fidget spinner cozy...

Pink Knit Fidget Cover

And a beaded ornament...

Christmas Ornament Knitted Tree Ball in White with Multicolor Beads

(By the way, the pictures do link to their listing in my Etsy shop, Zizi Rho Designs. Every time I do one of these posts, the links are there. As I don't want to hit you over the head with this, I don't mention it. I thought it went without saying. However, the last time I posted, I got a comment asking for the links, so...)

Since it's Cyber Monday, I'm offering a sale. 20% off for purchases over $20. The sale goes through December 24th.

Pick a Musical Instrument via a 90s Outfit

For random quiz Friday, I was going to go with something Christmas themed. And then I realized I didn't really want to.

I found this one a while back. It's a BuzzFeed quiz.

Build A ‘90s School Outfit And We'll Guess What You Played In High School Band

It's totally silly and completely inaccurate. (It gave me "trumpet". I played the oboe.)

So, tell me... What instrument did you get? If you did play an instrument, did it get it right? If you didn't play an instrument, did it pick one you would have wanted to try?

A Wonky Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving.

For #ThrowbackThursday, I'm revisiting a post from November 18, 2010. It was Turkey Day at the continuation high school. Turkey Day takes place the Thursday before Thanksgiving. They serve all the students and many in the district a turkey lunch (although it's served between 9:45 AM and noon). I managed to make it to the school this year (I've missed the last two), but alas, nothing blog-worthy happened. 

It's that time of year again. Today was Turkey Day at the continuation high school.

The administration puts on a school-wide movie to entertain the students while we wait to be called. The TV in the classroom has to be hooked up to the in-school "network" for us to be able to see it. When I finished showing 1st period a video in the VCR, I had to switch the cable so that instead of connecting to the VCR, it connected to the in-school "network".

It's harder to explain than to do. When the teacher told me that he was going to send over the school's tech guy to do it, I told him that I could manage. I did. Unfortunately, there was some interference in the picture.

The students were annoyed by this (we could see the movie, it just wasn't completely clear). They wanted it fixed, so I called the office.

I told them: "The picture is a bit wonky. Could someone come and take a look?"

Michelle thought my word choice funny. She had never heard the word "wonky" before. She wondered if it was a real word.

I was startled. She'd never heard "wonky" before? I understand when these students haven't heard long academic words before, but "wonky"?

I spelled the word for her. Told her that it was indeed a real word. She took my word for it.

The tech guy did come, and rather quickly too. However, the problem righted itself just before he got to class, so he wasn't needed.

(This wasn't my first Turkey Day. I blogged about previous years here and here.)

It's amazing how the technology has changed in just seven years. The classrooms no longer have TVs. Instead, each classroom has a projector that connects to a computer. The "in-school network" is no more. If the school wants something shown to each class, they email the video clip to the teachers, and the teachers can play the video clip on the projector at their convenience. 

And they no longer house the students in one classroom for the day. Instead, they have the students go to each of their classes in the morning, and they call out groups of 30. The newer method works a whole lot better.

The Brave

The schools have taken the whole of Thanksgiving week off, so it's back to the "summer schedule" for the week. Wednesday is the day I talk about a TV show that you've probably not heard of.

I've been attempting to figure out an obscure show I've been watching recently, and I can't come up with a thing. Because, I've just been barely keeping up with the network shows since the fall TV season began. In fact, there are three shows that I'm recording and storing for when all the shows go off the air in December.

So, instead of a show you've not heard of, I'm going to talk about a new fall show I've been enjoying. It's called The Brave, and it's on NBC.

Via Google:

In the dark and complex world of America's elite undercover military heroes, Defense Intelligence Agency Deputy Director Patricia Campbell and her team of analysts wield the world's most advanced surveillance technology from headquarters in D.C. All the while, Adam Dalton and his heroic Special Ops squad of highly trained undercover specialists use their unbreakable bond and commitment to freedom to save lives of innocent people and execute missions in some of the most dangerous places in the world.

The reviews aren't good. And I didn't want to like this show. I recorded it primarily because it started before all the other shows this season started. And then I got sucked in.

Each episode is exciting. The stakes are clear. The Special Ops team has a difficult goal to accomplish, and they fight like hell to make it happen. They're in some exotic locale, and the odds are stacked against them. But somehow, they manage to make it through successfully.

It's one of those shows that you don't need to know a lot going in. And apparently no one is watching. It looks like no new episodes are going to be ordered, which means that this show is all but cancelled at this point. However, as there isn't a lot of backstory, it's one of those shows that you can watch when you're looking for something exciting to fill the time during this holiday season.

Here's the trailer:



That's pretty much the first episode. You can find the rest of the aired episodes on NBC's website.

Have you seen The Brave? Are there any new fall shows you've been enjoying?

Careful What You Wish For

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

What if every lie you told last week came true this week?

Scorecard

Last week I wrote up a list of stuff I needed to be working on rather than that mini backpack. I'm happy to note that I got much of that list done.

I was able to complete those two unicorn gift card holders...

(And now I have to make another, but that's a different story.)

I did finish the hat stands, and I was able to use them...

(They still need a bit of tweaking as the yarn came a bit unraveled, but that's an easy enough fix.)

I even finished the jellyfish for the donation, but naturally I did not take a picture of it.

I did manage to make some of the wreath pins, but they weren't quite finished (nor did I make as many of them as I would have liked)...

(They're small. The arrows point to them.)

And as for the Russian Poncho... yeah, I didn't even touch that. (Sorry, Heather.) Nor have I done any Christmas knitting.

I did, however, tear apart the mini backpack and rework it. And I'll show that off at some point. (I haven't had a chance to take any pictures other than the ones at the craft boutique.)

Progress. Sort of.

Paranoid

Remember the whole "stop looking at me" conversation I related on Wednesday?

That same day, all the English classes at the continuation high school were writing the quarterly district essay. (I was covering graphic arts.)

The next day, I covered one of the English teachers. (They were out grading the essays.) And I found this on her desk...

Click on picture to make bigger (so you can read it).

So, instead of working on the required essay (which was worth quite a bit), this student took exception to "being watched", too.

I'm not the only one.

Must Do "Work"

The previous day, the English class had to do the writing assessment that this school district requires of all its students. So, on this day, the teacher left them a video.

You'd think they'd be happy to have a video. Some were.

This one boy, however, was quite upset. He needed to get some work done. He wanted a computer.

The schools now have class sets of Chromebooks (read: lightweight laptops) that teachers can use for various lessons. As this class wasn't going to need the Chromebooks for this lesson, the computers weren't accessible.

The boy insisted. He needed to get something accomplished. I thought this laudable, so when he asked if he could borrow a Chromebook from another class, I allowed it. (It was supposed to be a relaxed day for them, so if someone wanted to do work...)

In the end, six students went and got Chromebooks.

But, they were rather noisy for those doing classwork...

I quick peek over their shoulders, and I found out what all the noise was. Were they working hard on class requirements? Of course not. They were playing a first person shooter game.

via GIPHY

Figures.

Later in the day, Terrence showed up. He informed me that he needed a computer. (No, he didn't ask. Apparently, asking permission is for others.)

Well, I stopped him. I asked him if he actually planned to work. I'm sure you can imagine his response.

(I explained what I had observed earlier in the day. He promised me he was going to do work.)

You know I didn't leave it at that. I went to look over his shoulder...

To find him doing work. Slowly. But, not games. So, progress.

Stop Watching Me

The memo read, "In order to be in compliance with CIPA regulations, all students must receive instruction regarding internet safety annually..."

The "instruction" was a short video that all the kiddos had to watch. Simple enough. I explained to the group what was up, and I put the video on.

"Can I go to the office to pick up my schedule? I've already seen the video."

I explained I realized that she had already seen the video. Last year. But she had to watch it again. She could go to the office after.

Oh, you'd think I was planning to torture her. (You've all see instruction videos for things like this. I freely admit it was as tedious as you imagine.) She whined. She needed her schedule right then. The video was boring. She didn't need to see it again.

So, I stopped the video. Reiterated that it was an annual requirement. That most jobs required such trainings regularly, and she was going to sit still for the video whether she liked it or not. And I'd start the video over each time she complained.

That got the complaints to stop (especially when I did actually start the video over). But she wasn't watching. She was watching me.

I turned and watched her right back.

"Stop looking at me."

I explained that she should have been watching the video.

"I can't watch the video with you looking at me."

I explained that if she was watching the video, she wouldn't notice me. She debated this. As long as I was watching her, she'd watch me right back.

Deep sigh.

I wish I could tell you this was the first time I've ever had this debate. Sadly, I've had this conversation (with different students) many, many times.

Borrowed from Life

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

After pondering life, the universe, and everything, I decided I don't have the brain capacity to ask a question that hasn't been done to death. So, I went a bit more mundane...

What if you wrote a book where one of the main characters was someone close to you? And then, what if that person realized they were in your book, but they thought they were a completely different character (than the one you based on them)?

Impulse Control

Note: This post was written last Thursday night.

It was Wednesday, late afternoon. I had the whole evening planned out. And then I went on Pinterest...

I saw this pin. (I won't post a picture due to copyright concerns. But it's worth it to go and look. I'll wait...) And I just had to have one. (Link to the blog post the pin is attached to.)

There is no good reason for this. I don't need a little mini crocheted backpack on a keyring. The thing really has no purpose. But it's so cute. And it looks a bit like my EOS lip balm holders, so I knew I had the skills to make one.

And I had the yarn, too. But...

I have other stuff I should be working on. Stuff on deadlines. Seriously. I have a list:

• I still haven't finished my sister-in-law's birthday present. (The Russian Poncho.) And, um, her birthday was at the end of September.
• I sold my last unicorn gift card holder weeks ago. I'm in the process of completing two more. As in, all I have left to do is to attach the rest of the rainbow mane. (I've attached the red and orange stripes. All that's left are the yellow through purple stripes.)

• I have a craft fair on Saturday. And there are things that need I need to get finished for that...
• I have a hat stand that is part way complete. I need to finish that.
• I am out of the wreath brooches that I made last year. I want a bunch more of those.
• As is common for all craft fairs, this one requires a donation. (These things tend to be fundraisers, so part of the price of having a booth is the donation.) After avoiding the obvious, I realized that I had to make a jellyfish. Which I started. I still need to make the tentacles and assemble. 
• Plus there are a couple odds and ends I'd like to have done in time.

And that doesn't even include the Christmas knitting I should be doing but am not. Ugh.

Right, so knowing this list, did I put the backpack idea aside until at least after Saturday? Of course not.

Here's the pic...

I dropped everything Wednesday night. Finished up on Thursday. Not quite right, though. Those straps are just kinda wrong. 

It's an easy enough fix. Some tearing apart and putting back together. Doable. But not until after the craft fair at minimum. At least I can do that. I think.

As of Sunday night, I have completed the unicorn gift card holders and the hat stands. All that's left of the jellyfish is to give it a face, stuff it, and sew it up. But I still have not touched the wreaths or the Russian Poncho. Sigh. At least I'm making some progress. And I left the mini backpack alone.

Simultaneous Generation of Ideas

Middle school graphic arts class. Because there was a sub, they were stuck doing bookwork. (And they didn't like that one bit. Let's just say it was an "interesting" day.)

Their assignment was to read an article about the guy who invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos (a snack many of them consume daily), answer some questions, and then:

Click on pic to make it bigger.

One of the classes was actually on task. They discussed ideas. (One table discussed grilled cheese ice cream. Ick!) And then one boy accused a girl of stealing his idea.

That was my cue to intervene.

The boy showed me his idea. Ramen noodles with bacon. (The kiddos are obsessed with bacon.) He explained that he went to show the girl (who was seated at a different table), and her idea was the same.

Only, it wasn't. She was doing a noodle thing as well, but it was something about double the noodles. No bacon involved. Because they were both noodles, the boy said they were the same.

I explained that the ideas were different. The girl hadn't stolen his idea. Assuming that they hadn't been in communication before drawing their pictures, they had stumbled upon the simultaneous generation of ideas, or multiple discovery. I talked movies, but if you Google those terms, you get all sorts of interesting articles.

The boy, however, continued to claim the girl had stolen his idea. As he was just complaining, I walked away and let him be. At a certain point, I'm not going to change his mind. And if he's not disturbing anyone (other than them having to listen to his continuous complaint), it's a waste of my time to continue to argue.

At the end of the period, I collected their work. As I neatened up the pile, I found that the boy hadn't turned in his work. After all that, he doesn't turn it in?

Middle schoolers. *shakes head*

My "Favorite" Sophomores

I thought that I wouldn't have to deal with Kevin that Thursday, but then he walked in late with a pass. But, in a strange reversal, this 6th period actually worked, and quietly. (This was the same day as yesterday's post. I was so surprised to actually get a good class. One. But I'll take one.)

I wonder if Kevin even remembered me. I hope not.

Basically, Kevin spent all the time I had him in class avoiding work. Oh, he claimed he was going to "get it done" and he had "plenty of time", but I have yet to see him complete any work in class.

Last Monday I encountered Asia again. I noticed her name on 3rd period's roll sheet (for a photography class), so I had more warning than her.

Asia and I had a couple run-ins last year. She loudly criticized me when I insisted that she, um, settle down and do work. Any time I'd pass her on campus, she loudly laughed at me. I pretended not to hear.

Passing period. I stood at the front of the room as the students entered. I heard Asia as she peeked in the room, saw me, and then made her displeasure known with a string of expletives. Thankfully, she did this outside.

I looked at a girl seated directly in front of me. "She hates me," I told her.

Asia almost entered the room, but then turned and repeated her invective.

"She really hates me."

Eventually, Asia entered the room. Took her seat. She put on her pleasant face and spoke politely to me. All period.

I was impressed. She's learned to put on a false facade even though she hates me. Progress. I'll take it.

Kevin also didn't make any waves. It wasn't until after class that his story gets interesting.

On Kevin's desk, he left behind some papers. Assuming he had left behind his assignment, I went to retrieve them. And found something I did not expect.

The top page was a printed set of instructions:

1. Ask Mr. W if you can still turn in missing assignments.
2. If not, ask if remaining assignments will pull up grade.
3. Repeat for Ms. S.
4. Repeat for Mr. V.

The following pages were printouts of the gradebook for his classes. Unsurprisingly, he's getting Fs in all those classes. (Mr. W was who I was subbing for--English. Ms. S teaches home ec/cooking. Mr. V teaches chemistry.) 

I was not terribly shocked. Nor was I terribly shocked that those pages lay forgotten on a desk. I rather doubt Kevin is planning on following any of the instructions from his counselor. (That's why he was late to class. Presumably, they were discussing how he's failing high school.) 

I strongly suspect my Kevin stories will soon be coming to you from the continuation high school.

The Quiet Game

Freshman English. It had been a very long day, but it was only 4th period. (The students do not like their teacher, and so they've gone wild.)

At a ceratin point, there's nothing more for me to do. I try to contain the chaos, but otherwise I sit back and watch.

The students were loud. Most weren't doing the assignment. (They were supposed to be doing a "close read" of "The Lady or the Tiger".) The conversations were typical of freshmen. (I think. I wasn't really listening.) In the midst of this, one student decided it was time to play The Quiet Game.

via GIPHY

Seriously? They wouldn't shut up while I practically did the first question for them, but when they had leave to discuss their work (not that they were using the permission to talk constructively), they think The Quiet Game is fun?

via GIPHY

One student challenged another. Then, "The first person to talk is a loser," type of thing. And suddenly the whole room was silent--except for all the snickering.

The silence lasted for maybe two minutes. They tried again. Still, not long. The most peace I had during class, certainly. Although, I'd have traded any silence for actual work on the assignment.

Sigh. Freshmen...

Cult of You

At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉

Most of you are writers of some sort. You've written blog posts. Some of you have written novels. Maybe you've written articles or maybe you've written random Facebook posts. Plus, you have a real life where you've done things and said things that are remembered. Perhaps you don't think much of it, but...

What if someone has taken your "teachings" and created a religion (or a cult) out of them?

Updating Pictures, Part 6

It's been a couple weeks since I last did this. It seems I need that much time to get through what is now a photo stash.

First up, I've updated some pictures of my little pouches that are big enough to hold a credit card or gift card...

Pink with Blue Q Gift Card Wallet

Gift Card Holder with Knitted Monogram A in Gray and Neon Green

Purple with Gray X Knitted Monogram Gift Card Holder

Eventually, I'll get all the ones I still have listed... 

But I can make any letter... 

You may remember all of these. They were used to illustrate my A to Z Challenge posts.

...in so many different color combinations that I can't list them all. 

I also managed to relist two Christmas ornaments... 

Christmas Ornament Knitted Tree Ball in Blue and White Beads

Red, Purple, and Yellow Knit Christmas Ball 

Progress. Sort of.

Okay with an F

I was back in Mr. M's class. (This is getting to be a habit.) It was Friday, so they had a quiz.

It's a special ed. class, so their quizzes are open book. When they finished, if there was time, the instructional aide corrected their quizzes. If there was time, and if they didn't do so well on the quiz, the aide gave the quizzes back to the students to fix.

(They don't get full credit, however. They only get the full points if they got it right the first time.)

It was first period. The aide handed back a quiz to the first student to finish. And he was not pleased.

You should have seen him. He flailed about. Rolled his eyes. Cried. Threw his head towards his desk. From across the room I could see his performance.

Even more impressive, he did this all silently (as the rest of the class was still working on their quizzes).

Later, I talked to the aide. Apparently he always does this. You'd think he'd be more grateful with the help on getting a better grade.

In a following period (period 4, I think), I was the one correcting quizzes. I gave a boy back a quiz with a bunch of mistakes. I got busy with other things, so I didn't re-collect his quiz until the end of the period. That's when I saw he hadn't touched his quiz.

He got seven wrong. Out of twelve. That's more than half. I don't need a calculator to know that's less than 50% correct, so that's an F. I told him so.

"I'm fine with that grade."

Um, really? Even when I told him he didn't get half right?

It's a middle school thing, I think. I hope.

If you had failed a quiz, and your teacher gave you back your paper with the opportunity to fix your mistakes, would you fix your mistakes? (I know I would!)

Wasting his Time

It was one of those easy days. 12th grade English. They had a writing assessment to do. (It's something they've done four times a year every year since they were freshmen.)

At lunch I ran into another sub (Ms. I.). (Those of us who have been around a while are on friendly terms with each other.) She also had an English class (10th or 11th graders, I think). They were also doing the writing assessment.

So, we were comparing notes.

The writing assessment is done the same for all English classes. A day or so before the writing day, the kiddos are given a set of articles (two or three), and sometimes they also get a video to watch. These all tie in to the topic of the essay. They have the period to read the articles and annotate them. They can make as many notes as they wish. Then they leave the articles with the teacher.

On the writing day, they get their articles back, and they also get the writing prompt. They have the period to write.

Ms. I. was telling me about her group. Same as me, her day was going pretty smoothly. Except there was this one boy...

Ms. I. had the usual cell phone battle with him. (I was lucky enough to tell my group no cell phones, and they complied.) She told him to put his cell phone away, and he took his time doing it. Then he needed to use the restroom. And he was gone a good 15 minutes.

So, they got to the end of the period, and the boy wasn't finished with his essay. He asked Ms. I. if he could come back in the next class to finish it.

I laughed. I probably would have laughed in the boy's face, too. Ms. I. is nicer than me, though. She did not, however, let him continue working on the essay.

They had the period to complete the essay. It's not our problem if they wasted that time. I think we need one of those signs, kind of like the "a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part".

The Tardy Boys

They waited until the bell rang to saunter into the room. Five 11th grade boys. Then one paused in the doorway. Just because, I think.

O ho! Someone's put himself (themselves?) on my radar.

And then... nothing. It was a U.S. history class. They had bookwork. They worked quietly. Ho hum.

So I thought I had a great title and nothing more. Until one of the tardy boys got up and sauntered to the other side of the room. He stood in front of another boy, waiting with his hand out. The boy reached into his purple can of Pringles and handed the first boy some chips.

This also is not especially blog-worthy. At least it wasn't until a second boy got up and repeated the first boy's entreaty. All three had been in the tardy group. And all three were seated as far away from each other as possible in the room.

I'm not a fan of eating in the classroom, but I chose not to fight that battle on this day. And I figured the incident was over. Until boy #1 got out of his seat again.

First boy #1. Then boy #2. And then boy #3 got out of his seat to deliver the can of Pringles to boy #1.

All the while, the rest of the class worked quietly.

But I had had enough. There was no reason for the roaming. Especially since the boys did have work to do.

The next day I ran into their teacher. Since the classes worked so well, she rewarded the students. Well, all except the boys I had named for the whole roaming thing. 😏