Catching a Break...Or Not

Yesterday, Emma came home from school and I started going through her folder. Her spelling test was in there so I took a look. "A" 93%... Being the spelling bee that I was (am), I have a lot of interest in this so I see she has spelled the word "help", "hlep". So I yell for her, "Emmaaaa..."

And she yells back from the other room, "I know, I know, I know! I moved my crayon today. Marcus and Harrison both sit next to me though and talk."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"I talk back to them."

So I look at her calendar where her teacher either gives them a smiley face if they didn't have to move their crayon because they were good/listened all day, a straight face if they move it once, a squiggly face if they move it twice, and a sad face if they've been terrible. She's had a couple straight faces, once for playing in the restroom and the other time for pinching Marcus. He pinched her, she pinched him, he pinched her again harder and she told on him so they both had to move their crayon. The lesson? If you pinch someone back, you can't tell on them. Whatever. Anyway, Emma had a smiley face yesterday.

So I go back to her room where she is to tell her that she had a smiley face and that I was just calling for her because she spelled "help" wrong.

She smiles and says, "Oh. Weeeellllllll, my teacher decided to give me a little.....break, I guess."

I love that kid.