April Fool’s Shenanigans

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School should be a joyful place filled with enthusiasm. If a teacher doesn’t know how to have fun with their students while maintaining order, they might be in the wrong profession. I tried to connect with my students in many ways, but one of the easiest was creating a fun environment where we could learn and laugh together. Part of that included teaching them that laughing together as a class is an entirely different thing than making fun of someone. Kids learn the difference right away if the teacher models this behavior.

Laughter happens in many natural ways at school. I tried to create a safe environment where the students and I wrote together and shared our writing. If kids were initially reluctant, I’d ask their permission to share their work. Another strategy was to allow them to get in front of their classmates with a friend. Like any skill, we build public speaking through trust over time through increments of success. I typically wrote with my class, and then I modeled sharing. The kids learned I liked to have fun by acting, changing my voice for the different characters in my stories, and having them read and act out skits with me. It was only a matter of time before one child would say, “Can we write skits too?”

Another way to generate laughter and camaraderie with my students was through play. When it was time for physical education, I often joined the kids. For most, this was something new. P.E. was a time for fun and laughter. Like many kids in the class, it was one of my favorite parts of the day. Since we had P.E. at the end of the day, there were numerous occasions when I attended an after-school meeting drenched in sweat. Did I care? No, having fun and bonding with my students was a priority.

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There were too many examples of shared laughter to retell here, but since today is April Fool’s Day, I can’t help but remember a couple of classics. The first one had to do with an occasion when one of my classes (5^th grade) decided they were going to play an April Fool’s joke on me.

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When students arrived early, there was a routine. I kept the classroom locked then because that was my time to get things ready for the day. The children would then either have breakfast in the cafeteria or play on the playground if they already had eaten at home.

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One year some girls thought it would be hysterical to play a joke on me for April Fool’s Day. They tried to create the illusion that they all were absent. Rather than putting their backpacks in the usual spot, they hid them on the other side of the building. It wasn’t long before some of the boys decided to have some fun by walking off with the girls’ backpacks and hiding them in the boys’ bathroom. By the time school started, everything was a bit wacky.

The first order of business on most school days was to take roll to find out who was having hot lunch, cold lunch, or absent. I followed my usual procedure and called the names of the kids. Of course, when I called each girl’s name, there was silence since none were in the room. The boys eyed me suspiciously, wondering what I was doing. It was obvious that half the class was missing. As I took roll, I formulated a plan to mess with the girls.

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After the roll, the kids began working on their morning warmup drill—a few practice problems on whatever skill they were learning. I figured I’d give them five minutes to get to class. I was just about to send one of the boys out to get the girls because I realized I couldn’t leave them outside unsupervised. After five minutes, they came marching into class with huge grins on their faces as if they had put one over on me.

As soon as the last girl entered the room, I pretended to be angry with them. I looked at the girls with exasperation and said in my most displeased voice. “I’m so disappointed in you girls. The principal wants to see you all—now!” They looked at me sheepishly, surprised by my anger. I felt a twinge of guilt as I saw the looks of fear on some of their faces. Many of these kids had never been in trouble before. As they lined up at the door to go visit the principal, I proclaimed, “April Fool’s, girls.” It was a moment I’m sure they never forgot—neither have I.

I’ve also been on the receiving end of April Fool’s jokes. One of my good teaching friends at the school was named Paul. He was forever messing with me, and he got me good one year on April Fool’s Day. He occasionally called me up after school and pretended he was an angry parent with a gripe about me. He pulled the same joke a half-dozen times during our careers. He usually would begin by saying something like, “Hello. Is this Mr. Springer?” After I’d say it was, he’d launch into whatever his complaint was with me from the way I dressed, combed my hair, walked the kids through the hallway, or whatever ridiculous thing he could think of to complain about. After the first time, I was pretty much on to his gag. It usually ended with him laughing, unable to continue his charade.

One year on April Fool’s Day, he launched into his act. It went something like this, “Mr. Springer, I’ve got a bone to pick with you. Johnny keeps coming home saying you’re picking on him at school. I’ve got a good mind to file a complaint with the State Department of Education and have them remove your teaching license.”

I had a Johnny in my room that year, but he was a delightful kid who never caused problems. I was sure it was Paul, and I thought, Two can play this game. I gave it right back to him. “We’re very concerned about your behavior, sir. Johnny has been coming to school and telling us that you’re an unfit parent. He says all you ever serve him is Swanson TV dinners. I may have to report this to social services.”

At that point, I expected Paul to crack and begin laughing hysterically like he usually did, but the phone line remained silent. I went frozen in fear, wondering, Could I have been wrong? Was I speaking to Johnny’s parent? Did I just flush my career goodbye? I was extraordinarily relieved when Paul started laughing, and I had to chuckle at my gullibility.