A Red-Letter Day (or something of the sort)

I have figured it out!

I know the secret to having a perfect day.

You want to know too, don't you?

Don't you? :)

Well...I guess I can share. My day was THAT good!

Okay, so here it is:

Wear

yellow

shoes.

Isn't that what you were expecting?

No?

Well then, let me explain.

My day started out just like it normally does. I got up and did a little Tae Bo, thinking I might work out the annoyances that had been building up all week. (Its easy for all the little things to pile on top of each other and feel like they are the weight of the world on my shoulders.)

Then I showered and started to put my teacher face on. Soon enough I was trying to decide what to wear. I got my outfit together and had some classic, "professional," black shoes on my feet, when I realized,

My yellow shoes would totally match this shirt.

So naturally, without thinking twice, I discarded the boring black loafers and joyfully put on my yellow shoes.

Now, I already love my yellow shoes, but after today, I wouldn't sell them for a million dollars. I love them that. much.

At school I started working, around 7am when I showed up, and started to feel so stressed about all the things I need to get done before the weekend comes along.

I stopped for a second and thought,

NO. I don't want to have another stressed-out-awful-frustrating-go-home-frowning kind of day. No! No! No!

It probably helped that I was listening to The Safety Kids and they like to say "No! No! No!" (even though they are usually referring to drugs...hmmm...nope, no connection there).

Soon enough, the students came as they always do (noisily). There were plenty of refusing-to-listen-to-the-teacher moments, and messing-around-because-I-think-I-can moments, but at "Morning Meeting" my patience had run thin. All of a sudden these words practically jumped out of my mouth:

"Boys and girls. Do you know what today is?" (Muddled stares)

"Today is a yellow shoe day! Isn't that great?!" (More muddled stares)

One student (of course without raising her hand) yelled out, "What in the heck is a yellow shoes day?!"

"Oh my goodness! Don't you know? Well...see how I am wearing my yellow shoes today? Wearing yellow shoes means it has to be a good day. Nothing can make a yellow shoe day a bad day. Nothing!"

"Really?"

"Mmmm hmmm. I'm sure of it. Most definitely."

"Wow! So even we have to be good?"

"I guess so...that's the rule of a yellow shoes day. I didn't make the rules!"

(Interested looks fly around the circle.)

And that was the end of that.

Until about 2 hours later when we were lining up for recess. This is one of the most difficult times we have.in my class..lining up to go anywhere. But, instead of being frustrated, I just mentioned to the little chatterboxes:

"Oh, I know you aren't talking in line! Its a yellow shoe day!"

And the talking stopped.

And then again at centers:

"Let's work like its a yellow shoe day! Oh wait! It already is! Perfect! You'll do such a great job at centers, I don't even have to ask!"

And my dear friends, it worked like a charm.

Even my most difficult, rebellious, ornery kids believed in the magic of a yellow shoe day. And so did I.

Next time you need to have a good day, just throw on your yellow shoes and have a yellow shoe day!