"Are we going to sing 'God Save the Queen'?"

I was asked this highly relevent question by one of my 4th-graders today, as they were leaving English class for recess. "No," I responded, "they only sing that in England, and I'm from the United States - we don't sing that in the US." But he didn't really care about my response after he heard the "no." Instead, he added, "Oh, well, I play sax, so I just wondered." Then he turned and left. And now I'm wondering which "God Save the Queen" he was talking about!?! The "real" one, the national anthem of the "motherland" or the more irreverent, rock 'n roll version by the Sex Pistols... Hmm..

Yesterday was Wednesday, and yesterday I decided that I really like Wednesdays. That is, Wednesdays in French-elementary-school style. Here's why:
- No school on Wednesday means that you only ever have to think about getting through two days in a row, because then you get at least one day off.
- No school on Wednesdays means that I can take lesson planning one lesson at a time. I never have to worry about planning a lesson that's further ahead than the one I'm teaching.
- No school on Wednesdays means there is an entire weekday open for getting errands done, for standing in lines to add paperwork to your files in offices all over the city.
- And I can buy bananas in small quantities, ensuring the perfect ripeness, because I can restock on Wednesdays.
- Wednesdays also make for perfect day-trip days because, again, everything is open, and less people are touristing than on a Saturday.
- No school on Wednesdays means being able to do laundry when no one else is doing laundry, instead of on Saturday or Sunday, when everyone and their mother wants to do laundry, and when chores are the last thing you want to do during your weekend.
- And if all that wasn't enough, no school on Wednesdays means that if no errands need to be run, then you can spend the entire day in bed, reading, watching movies and enjoying being lazy, without the nagging feeling of "wasting" a day, because when the week is really over, you still have the entire weekend to spend out and about, not working.
- And if you've done all your errand-running on Wednesday, you have the entire weekend free to have fun!

On a slightly less-fun note: today was Thursday, which means 5th-graders at the tail end of the day. Which today meant they refused to stop talking, resulting in me giving a blanket punition - punishment - to the entire class (minus the 1 kid taking a make-up quiz in the back of the room). They were all so busy chatting with their neighbors that when I announced they had all just earned 25 lines of punishment, no one reacted, because no one was paying attention.

And the rate of "forgotten," "lost," or just plain not-done homework has been sky-high this week. What's the story?! If we sing "God Save the Queen" will they start getting themselves together? Doubtful... but almost tempting enough to try!