Schoolhouse News

At Mr. Destructo's school, there is a thing called the Schoolhouse News. If the kids feel moved to share something, they go to an adult who will take down their dictation. Penguin Girl did this all the time. Lots of stories to share. Then at the end of the morning when all the kids gather in a circle, a teacher will read aloud all the Schoolhouse News. Mr. Destructo did not contribute one single story to the Schoolhouse News all of last year. Today was his first:

Once upon a time there was a mean T-rex with a friendly rhinoceros and then he ate him and then he turned him into a bone. Then a paleontologist found him. The end.

I told Mr. Destructo that I really liked his story and asked him if he'd do another Schoolhouse News next time because I'd be really interested to hear what he had to say. His replied, "No, it's too boring," so this might be the only Schoolhouse News of his pre-school career.

When I arrived to sign out Mr. Destructo for the day, I found that he had discovered a toy fire extinguisher in the form of a water bottle. He eventually got the idea that he'd like to fill it with water. We negotiated that I would fill the bottle and he would not be playing with the water hose so as to avoid Wednesday's soaking of his entire body. After expending all the water from the first filling, I told him I'd only fill it one more time and he readily agreed. A while later, he removed the top from the bottle and accidentally knocked it over. He asked me to fill it again. When I reminded him of our agreement, the tears started flowing. My rule is that he doesn't get to stay on the playground to play if he's being a crybaby so he slunk away to sulk. Five minutes later, he came back, not crying but with tears still on his cheek, held the bottle out for me to see, and said most earnestly, "Mom, maybe I can fill it up with my crying." Aww . . . I told him he doesn't have to cry that much and filled up the bottle once more.