Half

Our half day of school went about as expected. All morning my kids rattled with excitement, some rattled more gently than others, but all were geared up for the tournament later today. 11 out of 12 of my 5-6th graders play on the team. Only two of them ended the day with overdue homework.

Their parents were sticking around to help set up the tournament so I kept them in my room to get their things done. So we worked on memory work while people poked their heads in and out of the room cleaning and organizing. Now everything is tucked away, homework is done, and I'm trying to decide if I should go home for an hour before the first game starts. I think I'll stick around here. Always papers to correct!

We finally got smart with Joe this year. Normally I put Joe in his travel container and put him under my desk with the heat lamp plugged in, then pack the entrance to my desk full of stuff so you can't get to him. But, this year since we put all the desks in the reading corner, there was nothing to stick around my desk. One of the boys had a mini padlock in his backpack he offered up to keep Joe's tank locked. It was just the right size to fit through the hole for that purpose. Now he can stay cozy in his tank, kids can still look at him, but no one can mess with him.