So for those of you who do not know, 420 became a slang term for smoking weed back in the 1970′s. There’s actually a really interesting – and funny – article here for those who want to learn a bit about the “history” of the invention of this name.

Tuesday was April 20th… i.e. 4-20.

Colleges struggle with students showing up at 4:20 p.m. on 4-20 to smoke a blunt and then go back to whatever it is that college kids do at 4:21 when they are stoned out of their minds.

Thousands and thousands of college kids do this, mind you… all across the nation.

But attendance on Tuesday was down in my classes/at my school on Tuesday, April 20th. And why?

When I innocently asked Tuesday, after taking role, “Where is everyone today?” one of my kids said, “Do you know what day it is?”

I do… but I didn’t put it together until then. (It was still early in the morning and I don’t really think like a 420 disciple.)

And being that we are on block schedule, I see my kids every other day. That means that on Thursday I will see the Tuesday absentees… and when I do see them, won’t I also be seeing them in a new light? I mean, I know kids smoke pot – I smell it in the halls quite often. However, ditching school to honor the Gods of Ganja?

For those kids on the fence for grades, don’t I now become all the more less likely to “cut ‘em some slack”?

Of course, I might end up wrongly assuming that Kid X was off getting high on Tuesday when they were home with a sore throat (from too many BONG LOADS!) but the fact is, how can my own assessment lens not be at least slightly tainted by such blatant ditching to go get blazed?

Besides, I took role well before noon. 420 doesn’t begin til 4:20.

Don’t pot smoking teens even know how to tell time anymore? School ends at 3:00 p.m. Why miss a class that ended well before 10:00 a.m.?

I know, I know… 420, Dude.

420

Arrrgghh!

Don’t ya just wish that somebody would just stand up and shout APRIL FOOL’S!!

Remember when we said we were cutting 5 instructional days off of this year’s academic calendar and 7 day’s off of next year’s academic calendar so that your students would a lot less time in class when really, we all know that they need more?

APRIL FOOL’S!!

Remember when we told you that pounding all your students with poorly constructed bubble tests would give us insightful assessment data that we could use to better direct classroom instruction?

APRIL FOOL’S!!

Remember, when we told you that we were going to bring equity to classrooms across the country by fairly funding schools across the nation so that we could provide the proper resources you need to do your jobs well?

Okay, we never told you that…but if we did you’d know to shout out APRIL FOOL’S!!

Methinks the Fools doth believe they are not acting as such — and that makes them not just April Fools but ones that wear this badge of honor all year round.