So I had a birthday.
(Well, technically it's still going on in America. I'm still receiving birthday wishes from all my fabulous family and friends in America, as we speak. I love this. One big birthday party for two days!)
My birthday landed on a Tuesday this year, which is the one day of the week that I don't meet with my first graders. But that didn't deter them from helping me celebrate anyway.
I write everyone's birthdays on our calendar in the classroom (including my own), so on Monday--the day before my actual birthday--they were fully prepared for a day of celebrations.
Look what they surprised me with.
(I guess 'surprise' is a relative term. I came in when they were still working on it, so there were squeals and screams of "Miss RAYNE! PLEASE DON'T SEE THE WHITEBOARD." But I was able to help a bit, too: "Miss Rayne. How do you spell 'Rayne?'" "Miss Rayne, how do you spell 'every?'" So I guess it was a good thing I was there during their prep time.)
The birthday wishing didn't stop just when I walked into class, either. On their spelling tests, they took advantage of the empty spaces to give me something to read whilst grading.
They provided me with snack, too, for break time. Those cuties.
(Please note that those good cracker things were taped onto the board.)
The birthday party my kids surprised me with on Monday was probably my favorite. Ever. But Tuesday--my actual birthday in Taiwan--was pretty good, too; full of little bodies hugging my legs, and birthday cards, and homemade peach pie, and special birthday presents, and being sung "Happy Birthday" in Chinese, and doing whatever I dang well pleased (which involved a lot of peach-pie-munching and Scooby-Doo-watching, may I say).
These kids just kind of wiggle themselves into your soul, and stay there.
I'm going to hate leaving them.
