Lost Clicker

Yesterday I lost my clicker, which is something I use every day. It's sleek and black and comes with a built in laser pointer. Basically, it's the coolest piece of teacher tech I own (and I do own it; I forgot to turn in the receipt).

Today, when I couldn't find it, I turned to my students.

"I need help," I told them. "I have lost my black clicker."

They were uninterested and for good reason. What child cares about a toy they don't get to play with?

But I did need help finding it and several eyes at differing heights and with differing thought process were the perfect solution. "First one to find it gets a candy," I said.

The room exploded with motion. They searched places I hadn't even thought of. They told me they lived for candy, that their energy depended on candy.

After about 30 seconds, one boy called out that he had found it. He held it triumphantly, as only the winner of candy can do, and brought it to me.

"Where did you find it?" I asked.

"In the trash."

This, people, is why I need my students. I would never have thought to look there. It would have been thrown away. I would have been left clicker-less and confused when it never, ever showed up again.

Kids have the best creative thoughts.