Legends

There is no better place to celebrate your birthday than an elementary school.

Birthdays are such a highlight for a young kid. It’s the time in your life where you want to be a year older, so naturally, they assume everyone wants to celebrate another year.

I celebrated turning 35 just this week and it was awesome. I spent the entire day having kids wish me a happy birthday. I received cards and little gifts on my desk all day.

“Here is a flower just for your birthday!!”

“I found you a special rock on the playground.”

“I cut out this tiny scrap of paper and thought of you!”

These sweet little mementos meant I had a smile plastered on my face all day.

Well, except that moment in reading when we were learning the vocabulary word “elders” and I shared that I have to speak loudly for my elders to hear me and a student responded so quickly and so seriously, “Wait- you have elders?”

Yes- there are people older than me seeing that I’m just 35 years old and not 100.

Regardless- it’s a fun to celebrate a birthday in elementary school. I used to remember passing out treats and getting little trinkets on your birthday. Thus, I vowed that I would bring this back. I was determined to be a classroom known for little trinkets for special occasions.

I’m not the Pinterest kind of teacher who has cute birthday treats prepped ahead of time. I appreciate a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of celebration. So, I bought little squishies and put them in a treasure chest. This way I’m always prepared for one of my students or anyone else who visits our classroom to celebrate.

We had to move classrooms last year and now no one seems to know where we are located. Thus, we don’t get a lot of visitors. It can get a little lonely. I hoped to increase traffic this way.

I only had a few come to my room before winter break. Everyone was delighted to know they could pick out a squishie to celebrate.

I’ll admit, the birthdays have picked up significantly this past month (March is clearly an awesome month). I had to purchase another box of squishies as my chest was getting down to the bare bones.

However, today made my day.

I had a 1st grader come into my classroom with cupcakes- 2 helpers in tow. I declined the cupcake (only a few treats actually make it to my desk seeing that most kids have the unwrapped treat already in their bare hand as they walk into the room). I shared that I did have a special treat for THEM and that is when I heard the question, “Is it a squishie?!”

“Yes, it is,” I reply as I walk across the room to get the treasure chest.

I hear the little trio whisper to each other, “YES! We found the squishie classroom! It took us forever!”

There you have it friends- a legend in the making.