Rich Henderson's Diary
The First 180 Days

Rich's Diary: Spring Fever

Week 33

They all have it! Each of my students has contracted some form of it, and it shows no signs of weakening. It's highly contagious and has some powerful effects. Some of the symptoms include difficulty concentrating, an uncontrollable desire to look out the classroom windows, and a facial expression that indicates that all thoughts have been diverted to a baseball field miles away from the classroom. There is no cure for this condition. It must simply run its course. What is this powerful condition? Its unofficial name is Academicinterruptus. We know it as spring fever -- and it's quickly spreading.

About two weeks ago, strange things began to happen in my classroom. The occurrences were subtle at first, leaving me to question whether they were simply an outgrowth of my imagination. To an outsider, those things would have probably gone unnoticed, seen as a "normal" part of our everyday classroom existence. I knew better. I knew that something was different, and I had a feeling that it would soon envelop each of my students. At first, I noticed that some of their usually animated faces were slowly becoming unemotional and blank. Perhaps not enough sleep, I thought. In the days that followed, however, their faces remained expressionless. Worst of all, I noticed that this blank look was spreading to other students. What was going on?

During our lessons, I noticed that the students fixed their eyes on something and, whether it was the writing on the chalkboard or me, just stared. Seeming to realize that something was trying to take over their attention spans, the students attempted to fight off this "thing" by turning their attention to the window and absorbing all that the outside world has to offer. These brave little soldiers tried to combat this condition by ignoring the day's lessons and focusing on the elements of spring. They didn't have to fight this "thing" alone, though. I soon discovered that in the face of this "thing," I possessed some remarkable powers of my own. Whenever I said lunch time, recess, or time to go home, their unemotional expressions returned to a state of glee. It didn't take long to understand that this "thing" was spring fever.

My students' thoughts are scattered right now. School, sports, summer, and outdoor activities are only a few of the things that occupy their minds. At times like this, I am grateful for our classroom routines. Despite the warm weather, my students know what I expect from them every day, and this helps them stay on task. We have six weeks left in the school year and there is still plenty of work to do. Working in spite of spring fever is not easy, but it is necessary.

Now, where did I put my baseball glove?

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Rich Henderson
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