Two Cents

I give each student two pennies when they come to our reading group. They put a penny in the pot when they have a comment. Each person has to spend both, and cannot spend more. When all pennies are in the pot we pull them out and spend more. I thought I was a f-ing genius for the whole penny/thought pun. It keeps kids accountable and involved for the most part.

Until the pennies start spinning and sliding and stacking. They palm the pennies, fondle the pennies, obsess over the pennies instead of thinking about the point at hand. The pennies drive me nuts. Then I start taking pennies away. The pennies become punitive. If your penny is bothering me, I steal it. If you are talking, I take a penny. If I take both pennies, then you are in for recess talking with me about why the pennies aren't working goddamnit! This, fortunately, has not happened yet. But there are times when I really do hate the pennies.

But I am so attached to my witty pun. Hopefully the pennies will lose their novelty soon and they can serve their purpose. Two cents.