Erin Go Braugh!

Although St. Patrick's Day isn't celebrated in Japan, I wanted to introduce the holiday to my students.  I got into the spirit of the holiday at work by pinching any coworkers who were not wearing green.  Greg, the other third grade teacher, realized his mistake in not wearing green.  "Lauren, you better not tell your kids to pinch me because I'm not wearing green," he sighed, already defeated.

When my first student arrived that day, I lightly pinched her and then explained why.  Just as I finished my explanation of St. Patrick's day and this pinching tradition, Greg came out of his classroom.  "You can't pinch me!  I'm wearing green," he said, pointing to a piece of green paper he had taped to his shirt.  As my next student Lenny arrived, Gwen scurried over to the stack of origami paper. After I pinched Lenny and explained why, he walked over to Gwen to inspect her for green.  "You can't pinch me! I'm wearing green, so safe!" she said, pointing to a green piece of paper she had taped to her shirt, just like Greg.

Each time a student trickled in to the classroom, all the other students turned their heads to inspect the latest arrival for traces of green.  The kids really got into it, and it was quite funny.  I gave all the students green stickers so they'd be "safe" from pinching.  Once all the students arrived, I explained to them about how St. Patrick's Day started and what some of its traditions were.

I bet next year for St. Patrick's Day, Greg will remember to wear green.  Erin Go Braugh!

Greg and Gwen wearing green paper as a shield for pinching on St. Patrick's Day.