Marbles

Marbles have taken over our school 

Here's how it all began...

About a month ago I started seeing marbles one by one come in my classroom from my boys. They began rolling, throwing, bouncing, snatching, grabbing and fighting over these little things. The next day more boys had them. And the next, even more!

The teacher whisper had begun. Someone was supplying these little suckers.

Turns out grade 5 boys started a little business... 1 durham = 1 marble (and a durham is about .30 cents) The business spread like wild fire throughout 750 boys

At foosa (break time), before school, after school and all throughout the day marbles were taking over. Naturally teachers were going nuts. No one could focus. The only concern were these freakin' marbles.

Soooo as teachers do what they do best...

"If I see it, it's mine!!" "Keep it in your pocket, boys!" "I don't want to catch you rolling it all around!" "I don't want to see it in my class!" We were all chanting the same words.

We have a few "planter boxes" that are really sand pits that naturally the boys end up playing in. I swear bocce ball was becoming a real thing in this country ;) The boys loved the marbles, which of course meant teachers were about to flip!

I've collected marbles throughout the past few weeks, I give them back before the boys get on the bus. But the problem was NOT going away.

Today during our math lesson, two boys maybe grade 4 or 5, came in wearing their police uniforms. Sidenote: the boys come to school in police or military uniforms depending if their father/family are a part of it. So they walked in, told the boys in arabic to "HAND OVER THE MARBLES!" I only hear the actual word "marbles" and I knew just what they wanted. I made them check all the pockets of my little grade 1 boys and they all checked their shantas (backpacks). They all went silent when these two boys walked in so I knew there was business to be had.

Khallas (Finished)...just like that the problem was fixed!

I asked the two boys if Mr. Abdullaziz sent them? They nodded. Mr. Abdullaziz is the disciplinarian at our school also known as our Vice Principal. :) He has the kids shaking in their Kandouras most of the time!

The marbles may be gone today but something tells me we haven't seen the end of this fad!

Maybe we should give an award to the 5th grade boys for creating such a lucrative business :)