Every teacher knows that each day presents a new challenge. For me, such a day occurred last Thursday, when the usually quiet, bookish Amelia decided to bring her collection of glitter pens to school. The look in her eyes shone brighter than the pens in her box set – she was eager to share her pride and joy with her classmates. The damaging effect that these sparkly beauties could have was the furthest thing from my mind.
Well, the inevitable happened. In the middle of English class, while we were deep into our discussion about “Holes” by Louis Sachar, a splatter of glitter suddenly erupted mid-air. The culprits? Jared and Billy, the ever-so-rambunctious besties, had decided to have a ‘Glitter Pen War’.
Just imagine the sight – my tidy classroom now looked as if a unicorn had sneezed all over it. Glitter was everywhere, on desks, chairs, the floor, even floating in the air! Horrific, right? Well, I took a deep breath, as I had to address the messy situation.
However, the best part was yet to come. Seeing the exasperated look on my face, Amelia, the owner of the pens, took responsibility. She gathered her classmates (including the guilty ones) and organized a cleaning mission that would make a custodian proud!
With every child helping, even those who usually found reasons not to, my classroom was soon cleaner than it had been before the glitter explosion. Amidst the chaos, I found a silver (or rather, a glittery) lining. I was so proud and touched by their cooperation and Amelia’s leadership that the glitter incident turned out to be one of my most meaningful classroom experiences.
In hindsight, I learned something valuable that day. Even in the messiest situations, there’s always a little bit of shine waiting to be discovered. And sometimes, that shine comes from the most unexpected sources – like a box of glitter pens.
So, next time you’re faced with an unexpected ‘glitter-pen-war’, recall this tale and remember to look out for that bit of glimmer!
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