Caught Being Good

Michaela’s school held back-to-school night the second week of school. It was a great chance to visit the classroom, see some of the work the kids did during the first week and a half of school, hear about their routines, and have questions answered by the teacher.

One of the routines in the class is that the kids get a hand stamp at the end of the day if they had a good day. So far, Michaela’s come home with a stamp every day, but I know that’s not the case for every kid. In fact, one day Michaela breathlessly related that one boy in class acted up just before it was time to go home, after the stamps had been applied, and the teacher made him go wash his stamp off. Drama in K1!

At back-to-school night, I asked Michaela’s teacher how she was going, and the teacher related this story:

One kid, while his stamp was still wet, pressed his hand against the door, leaving an ink mark on the door. The teacher say it and asked the class who did it. No one ‘fessed up. The teacher put out a small dish of water and a sponge and said she’s turn her back and whoever did it should go clean off the door. No one moved until Michaela said, “I didn’t do it, but I’ll clean up the door.” She got up and started scrubbing the ink off the door. Halfway through, the culprit got up to help and together, they got it all cleaned up.

I was SO PROUD. I really feel like my number one job as a parent is to raise a conscientious citizen who takes care of herself and others, and that particular story makes me think Mike and I are doing a darn good job.