Give a Hug

"Boys, stand up!"

My students emit a collective squeal/groan as the boys stand--and immediately rush around the room to hug each other. The girls laugh as the boys dog-pile onto each other, creating massive hug-groups from which it takes several minutes for us to extricate them.

I never expected this! When I wrote out the game path on the blackboard, blocking out squares where students had to jump on one foot, or turn in a circle, or do a dance, I added "give a hug" as an afterthought, something which,I thought, the kids would surely hate. They are 5th graders, after all.

But not in this class!

The game board keeps bouncing them back to this square and the boys are thrilled to jump back up and back onto each other, each time exuding more energy than the last. They love it, and each other!

Of course, this is only the first class of the day. The next two show more of the expected hesitance, more of the laughter by the opposing team as they keep returning and returning to that square--because, as the game master, I of course designed it so that on either side is an aptly placed "go back 2" or "go forward 1" square which ensure that it gets hit at least one time, and usually more like 3.

I love how much the first class loves it, though. Maggie tells me that that home room teacher's class always loves each other that much, year after year, and I wonder what she's doing right to change most 5th graders' version of punishment--hug a classmate??--and turn it into a genuine enthusiasm at the prospect. Love it!

And so, evidently, do my students. My job rocks.