The music stores are always trying to give me folders.  Actually, I need to pick some up from my nearby music store, St. Louis Strings.  But, the one that is closest to my school out in St. Peters had given me a stack of folders, and today I handed them out to my students to use.  I asked them to write their names on them, and since I teach in the music/art room, magic markers were plentiful.  After the students started on the task, I realized the marker was going to smear on the glossy folder.  I told the students, “Write your names, then DON’T TOUCH IT until it dries.”  But it was too hard to follow this instruction, too tempting to touch the shiny marker ink. Before I knew it…magic marker smears EVERYWHERE, fingers covered, one girl had marker on her face, the papers I had handed out (to put in the folders) were ruined.  I had to send them all to the bathroom to wash off.  Keep in mind, these were third graders!

What did I learn?  It only takes a few seconds to be completely covered in magic marker.