I love smiling; it's my favorite!

This week was fabulous in several ways. Yesterday was the last day of school, but we watched videos since Tuesday. Shh, I could get fired for that.

1. I have watched Elf and Napoleon Dynamite three times apiece. They've passed the litmus test for My Favorite Movies; the more I watch them, the funnier they become. Kids were turning around in their seats to look at me, astonished at how hard I chortled when Will Ferrell (or, as I like to call him, "Elf") does the splits on the escalator. At home, it's a kick to watch Ben seethe as I insist on saying, "Look at me! I'm being Elf!" instead of "Look! I'm being Buddy!" as he believes is proper. It's also nice to see the kiddos choosing the exact same lines of Napoleon's to mimic that I did.

2. My first period's Bob Marley Rasta Christmas door won first-place in the schoolwide door decorating contest. For two days, it was the talk of the school. Every few seconds during passing, I'd hear, "Ho, tight, da door!" and "Miss, your door is sick!" It's amazing how a giant image of Bob in a Santa hat can instill even the hooliganest of hooligans with the holiday spirit. Just kidding. I know they only like it because it helps them envision the ganja they're on their way to smoke.

3. I shamelessly bribed the kids and even more shamelessly drank in the sights and sounds of their gluttony as they smacked pizza, slurped soda, and, to a person, joked about my "hash brownies." As I savored the harmonious chorus of burps, I pretended they were feasting upon a bounty of knowledge only I could provide.

4.. This is the crown jewel. Two Hawaiian boys who hang out in my room at recess showed up wearing two-foot-tall Pope hats they'd made from construction paper, complete with crosses, in order to taunt their friend who doesn't believe in God. It was frickin' hysterical. They chased her around, giggling, "Repent! Repent!" I don't know why the fact that they're Hawaiian makes it funnier, but it does. Don't worry, everybody was laughing, including the heathen. Most days she's making fun of one of the popes for his dark skin. Just the fact that they took the time to plot and execute this was utterly delightful.

I guess my lesson learned today (and, indeed, this entire week, as I prayed no one would notice how I'd turned my room into a den of iniquity): it's so much more fun when I don't have to try to teach them anything.