Jewish Stars & Guns

So today I went into substitute, for one of my favorite history teachers ever! 
I was so dang excited to actually work in her class, because she is just awesome (You might remember me raving about her here)! 


Anyway - her class room is set up into 6 groups, with 4 students in each group. And today they got their new seating assignments. We got started on a team building project, to help the students get to know their new group-mates and have a little fun. To start, each group had a worksheet with bingo-like boxes that prompted the students for favorite colors, where they were born, favorite dessert, favorite sport and so on... 


After each person got to talk about their likes, dislikes, and their life - they had to write their name on a piece of paper and have each group member draw something in the background. 
Things were going so well. I was impressed with how diligent they were and how nicely they were drawing on each others pictures.
As I'm walking around the classroom I'm making comments on their papers, "Oh Anne that is a great picture!", "John, You are doing a great job!", "Oliver, please don't draw any guns on Jill's paper."
So now....
I want you to picture Jake, he is a sweet looking boy, smart, and is extremely sarcastic (oh and very funny!). Just to give you an idea: Before he left the classroom today - he said, "Bye-Bye-BuuuhBye - Yo' Mama!!" And then laughed his butt off out the door (Strange? Yes! But he makes me laugh). 
Now I want you to picture Mary. She is this tiiiiiiny little girl, wears a headband with a bow just about every day, and has the sww-eetest voice ever! She is always helpful and likes to tattle on everyone. 
So this is what I hear: 
Jake: "I said I liked wrestling & you drew a Jewish Star!"
Mary: "Well I can't draw a wrestler."
Jake: "But you drew a Jewish Star, I'm not even Jewish!"
Mary: "Well, I didn't know.. You didn't tell me you weren't."
Jake: "But now I have a Jewish star on my paper!"


It took everything inside of me to not laugh out loud. Kids are just too funny! 
When I asked Mary why she drew a Jewish Star on his paper, she told me: 
"I dunno, I didn't know what else to draw!" 
So she thought that it would be nice of her to draw a Jewish Star on a non-Jewish boy's all-about-me paper. Hmm... 


It just about made me laugh - and I hope that it isn't one of those, you-had-to-be-there moments... because as soon as it happened, I went back to the desk and wrote down what they said, word for word  - so that I could share this moment with you. 


Then that class left, and a new (and waayy bigger) class arrived. And while they were doing the same project and I was walking around - I noticed that this one boy was drawing very interesting pictures. 
Drawing #1: This paper belonged to a girl who is 1/2 Japanese. So, underneath her drawing of a Japanese flag, he drew someone holding it up on a pole and another person holding a gun, and the word, 'bang'. 
Drawing #2: This girl liked ice cream. So the boy first drew the girl holding an ice cream cone. Then decided that he wasn't finished, so he drew another person stealing her wallet.
Then to top it all off, as I was using a sharpie to black-out the inappropriate parts of the picture, it looked like a big black gun on this little girls paper - and of course the little creep noticed and had to say it over and over and over... 


So now after a day that has been filled with little terds, a jewish star, and images of guns..
 I'm off to the gym - because I stepped on the scale and I am 3 lbs lighter than I was last week - and  I'm incredibly motivated to keep going! :) 
-K