Sticky Situations

I was only trying to inspire the children. Motivate them to give 100%. Encourage them to reach new heights of scholastic achievement...!

I should have kept my mouth shut.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury blogosphere, I present to you the case: Mis4198ta843ke78: Molly Told Some Second-Graders She'd Get Them Minecraft Stickers.

Two weeks ago, I told some seven and eight-year-olds, who I knew loved Minecraft, that if they were especially well-behaved and worked hard, I would go and buy them some Minecraft stickers. 

I could have sworn I'd seen Minecraft stickers at the store. If not the grocery store, then the craft store. But maybe I'd merely seen the Ninja Turtles. Both franchises do have a lot of green. The point is, I couldn't find any Minecraft stickers.

"Maybe the children will forget about the whole thing," I thought hopefully.

"Where are the Minecraft stickers? You said you'd get us Minecraft stickers!" the children said to me. Every day thereafter.

"Soon," I told them, hoping to buy myself some time. There had to be Minecraft stickers somewhere on Earth. Say, Amazon.com?

Amazon asks, how do you feel about 17 Minecraft stickers for $13.99? Or what about three stickers for $2.99, plus shipping?

Ughhh, what had I done?

Okay, so I realize that it is possible for adults to sit down with particular children and explain the situation, tell them that sometimes grown-ups make mistakes, and beg for forgiveness. Because yes, sometimes grown-ups do make promises they find they just can't keep, and one could argue that kids are never too young to learn that the world isn't comprised of fairy-tale endings and rainbows and lollipops.

Which would be what I'd do if Minecraft stickers didn't exist, period. But they do. They're just ridiculously un-cheap.

And also, I've only known these kids for a month. I'm afraid if I break this promise, I'll lose them for the rest of the year -- or worse, I will be the cause of their eternal illiteracy. 

"I wanted to learn to read," they will tell their future therapists. "I was just starting to get good at it when this one teacher came along and made exciting promises... and then broke them. And laughed -- maniacally and cruelly. From that day forward, I never opened another book. From that day on, reading was dead to me."

So here comes plan B: use my Xyron sticker maker to make some Minecraft stickers, present my creations to the children, and hope they find them satisfactory.

Which they'd better.

Um.

Yeah, I'll keep you posted....

ETA 4/29/16:

1. The kids liked the stickers.
2. I am now taking kids' requests for other types of stickers.
3. Success.

Employsion

Six weeks.

You know, sometimes I just don't feel like blogging.

Still, I feel the need to compose an update to this entry from February 24th. 

2.5 weeks after the above post, I found out about a job opening at a local school. I applied. I had an interview a week later. Four days after that, I got a call that I'd gotten the job.

B-)

The following Monday, the job began.

Two things to note:

1. I've actually worked at this school before. Half the staff is different now, and only the 5th grade students have a ring of familiarity (they were in Kindergarten when I worked there five years ago), but it's funny because I feel like I've just slipped back in to my old groove.

--This can feel a bit wrong, too... as if I'm taking a step backwards in life.

--But deep down inside I feel at peace 

that this is where I'm supposed to be right now.*

2. I had already agreed to work/teach at this after-school program at a 2nd school, before I got this job. So each day I work 6 hours at one job and then drive over and do 2 hours at another job. And it's exhausting.

Which may explain why I haven't blogged much.

I do want to say that I am happy... even though some of my students drive. me. nuts. I'm happy because I have a job, it's something I know how to do, and it's something I'm comfortable doing. I don't expect to do it forever, but then... who knows? 

Meanwhile, a picture of my favorite dog....

And favorite baby....

Life is good.

*and God is faithful.