Fair(ly) Overbooked

They have been asking about this day since school started.

When is the Book Fair??

Their question confused me at first.

What?  Do you mean a “book order“?  I will send one home soon.

No…they wanted the Book Fair, with the shelves of books lining the hallway.  They were a little bit horrified when I said they had to wait until November.

But they did wait…and today was the day!  Exciting times.  For them.

They spent the first three hours of school waving their loose cash around despite my repeated attempts to contain it, control it, and finally confiscate it.  They asked me two hundred times when it was our turn to shop.  They came at me in groups with that question, then tag-teamed me one at a time, repeating the same query as if it had just occurred to them to ask such a thing.

Oh…Miss S…when do we go to the Book Fair?  I had to fend them off like a ninja.

Our shopping time couldn’t come soon enough.  They descended on the Book Fair like a pack of book bandits, and then the negotiating began.  I stumbled through the aisle, while students waved books under my nose.

How much is this?  Can I buy it?  Can I have two more dollars?  Can I just pay two more dollars tomorrow?  If it says four dollars, can I buy it with my five dollar bill?

After much battling, bargaining, finagling, and financial chaos, our class emerged victorious with new books in hand.  Those students who didn’t buy a new book were encouraged by the Wish List I had made with their suggestions for our classroom, and those who had something new to read offered quickly to share during Partner Reading.  My relief was evident, and I was grateful the ordeal was over.  In my exhausted exit from the hallway, I almost missed the best moment…

Seven of my boys sitting shoulder to shoulder against the wall, poring over their books and pointing excitedly at each others’ pages.  My kids love books, and the Book Fair was the Best Day Ever in their world.

Tomorrow is Gum Day…I don’t know if I have the strength.