Lunch.
I love it. A lot.
Club sandwiches. French fries. Ranch. A soda. Maybe a salad. Maybe. Or maybe just more fries.
I also like soup and sandwich combos, as well as salad and sandwich combos. But I always have to order a side of fries if I do that. I don’t think fries should be canceled due to a combo.
I am a lady who likes to lunch. A lunching lady. All summer long, I say, “I’m meeting so-and-so for lunch.”
Then school starts. And lunch and I pretty much break up.
It is never a club sandwich and fries.
It is most likely easy mac, cereal, a ready-made salad from the deli or, quite possibly, a soggy sandwich. I always fill up my lunch bag. Like, to the brim.
One of the above entrees, plus a fruit of some sort, string cheese, a granola bar, a cookie, a 100 calorie bag of something . . . Crystal Light . . . you know, just stuff I think I might be hungry for and I might need throughout the day.
And what usually happens is this: I work through my lunch.
Today, I prepped a new center, filed some papers, taped some computer cords to the “baseboard”, made some copies, and organized my sight word lists.
With five minutes left of lunch, I ate my salad. Well, parts of it. Mainly the chicken and the croutons and the ranch.
I had eaten grapes at first recess so I was full. Obviously. Teachers can stand up to anything on a full stomach of grapes. Especially if they’re the seedless kind because then you can eat the whole dang thing.
So today, one of my little kiddos was holding his stomach AFTER lunch and complaining that he was hungry.
I said, “Did you eat lunch?”
He stared at me.
I said, “Did you have some lunch at lunch time?”
He just stared at me.
I said, “Did you put food in your mouth?”
Nothing.
So I asked another kid what he had for lunch just to get a response out of someone and this kid said, “I can’t remember.”
Um. Hmmmmm. I started to rethink the math lesson we were about to do . . .
I said, “Who had a school lunch today?”
Three kids raised their hands.
I said, “Did So-And-So-Who-Is-Holding-His-Stomach-From-Starvation get a lunch?”
“Yes. Uh huh. He did.” Emphatic nods.
Finally, he spoke up. “But my milk spilled all over it so I couldn’t eat it.”
Well, if that’s not the saddest thing ever, I don’t know what is. I’m telling you right now if milk spilled on my lunch, I’d be heading to McDonald’s and treating myself to a milkshake with fries.
We talked about what to do if that were to ever happen again (ask for help!) and then I said, “I have some grapes you can have.”
And guess what?
I forgot I ate them at recess.
I forgot.
Um. Hmmmmm. Started to wonder what else I may have accidentally eaten. Starbursts? Maybe. A donut from the staff lounge? Possibly. (I gave him the granola bar and whatever else.)
And to top the day off, when I picked up my class from last recess, I had another different little guy put on the saddest face ever and say to me, “I didn’t get to play.”
I said, “What? Why?”
He said, “Because I was eating my sandwich.”
I said, “Why didn’t you eat your sandwich at lunch?”
He said, “Because I was playing.”
And there you have it.
Lunch.
Sometimes it works. And sometimes it doesn’t.
That's classic Krisin- I love first graders!
xoxo
Vicky
Great post and SO true!
This was the cutest post ever! Almost makes me wish my summer was over and I was back at school…almost.
Heidi
Secondgradealicious!
Once at lunch, a student was given a minor alert for not eating his carrots. Ruined the whole rest of the day…for everyone!
Laurie
Chickadee Jubilee
Ha,ha,ha…happens the same way in Australia!!
Julie 🙂
Mrs Stowe's Kinder Cottage
Love it! First graders are the best. My favorite is when they say, "I have nothing for snack" when you know they do and they just don't like what they have packed. 🙂
Meredith
1, 2, Eyes On You!
Such a cute story! 🙂
Rachel
A-B-Seymour
Your story made me smile. 🙂
Pretty much the only thing that gets me through my day is hoping you have written another blog …well, that and my husband and children. ..but your blog would definitely be next!
Thanks for always making us laugh!
Heidi
I'm giggling. It's SO true. All of it.
Heather
Peacocks & Penguins
omg… SO first grade! Too funny!
So classic! And can I add there's nothing I hate more than making my lunch M-F. Not sure what that's about. I do it the night before, but it's just not fun!
We can all relate! So funny!
Oh goodness! That was a sad lunch story! No wonder why you are so skinny! You just don't eat…too busy prepping new centers 🙂
Eww, I hate milk!!! Unless it's in a milkshake, of course 🙂
❤Teri
A Cupcake for the Teacher
I love your posts! You are laugh out loud, throw my head back, and hold my gut funny. After my day with my firsties I really needed a good old belly laugh! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Oh sad lunch stories about first graders make me sad. Life is hard at 6. A granola bar seems like a great substitution for a milk soaked lunch.
Kimberley
First in Maine
I have the exact same relationship/break-up with lunch. In the summer, I live for going out to lunch and then school starts. Brown bag every day or in my case a cute little tote made of Capri Sun juice box pouches. My daughter made it for me. She's an aero-space engineering student. No, really she is.
I already miss going out to lunch and it's only the 7th day of school!
Valuable information you got here! I would like to thank you for sharing your thoughts and time into the stuff you post!! Thumbs up
Special Education Teaching Resources
This has got to be the most amazing post ever! I was laughing out loud at it!! Gotta love those crazy kids. And I am just like you- I work through lunch 🙁
Heather
The Land of I Can
That is too funny! What can you do ??? Feed a hungry kid and I guess call for an extra recess? Have a beautiful weekend.
We start school on Monday. I miss going out to lunch, too!!! Very sad. Love your blog!
We start school on Monday. I miss going out to lunch, too!!! Very sad. Love your blog!
Oh my gosh! And it never fails that these traumatic lunch events happen when I'm not on lunch duty, and of course the kid is too shy to tell the other teachers! Friday one of mine came up to me around 2:30 (we eat at 11:30) and said "I saw something weird in the cafeteria but I didn't want to really see it so I'm telling you." Seriously. Upon further questioning, I still had no idea what she was talking about, but we discussed that next time she should TELL THE TEACHER ON DUTY. Lord help us. 🙂
-Gayla
Teach On.