The Holy Grail of Middle School

Have you ever had one of those days?  You know.  THOSE days.  The kind where everything goes wrong, and it seems like it will never end.  Today has been THAT day.  It seems like it has been 42 hours long and a month of Mondays all rolled into one.  Oh, and did I mention it was in a fifth-grade classroom with tempers, hormones, warm spring temperatures and minimal deodorant?  Fun times.  Not to mention it was in a week coming back from a long weekend, a full moon, an early release day, and pepperoni roll day. They were testing the Jesus in me, and exceeding the limits of my Diet Coke, ya’ll !   

 What is it with pepperoni rolls and student behavior anyway?????   You think full moons are bad for emergency rooms?  It pales in comparison to pepperoni roll day in middle school.  Those days even scare Chuck Norris, and he isn’t afraid of anyone or anything.  True story.  Pepperoni roll day in middle school is like winning the lottery for adults.  It’s like a trip to Disney World after a team wins the Super Bowl--Jackpot at its finest!  Students don’t care that the warm, crusty rolls are made with wheat dough, or that the little circles of goodness are made from turkey.  Of course not!   As an added bonus for us, the golden pepperoni roll is the official food of West Virginia, too!   I mean, how many other states have an official food that is as cool as the pepperoni roll?  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that none would be the answer.  

So, even on a day like today, I am thankful for the pepperoni roll days.  You see, as much as the crazies happen on said pepperoni roll day, it is the ultimate way to bribe students into doing their best on assignments and tasks.  Perhaps, motivate them into kicking it up a notch would be a better way to put it for those politically correct folks who may not approve of bribery.  Offer those golden pockets of goodness as rewards.  Give them extras of the greasy mounds of turkey pepperoni.  Help them reach their limits and exceed even their own expectations.  And, do it in the name of honoring the official state food!!   Cue Country Roads.  Make progress.  Make memories.  But most of all, eat lunch in the cafeteria on pepperoni roll day.   it’s a great day to be a middle school teacher, wherever you may be....