Grade Seven Sacrificial Lambs

It seems clear to me now why the word in German for cell phone is "Handy". The cell phones came in handy the other day when two bright and squirrelly seventh grade boys needed to film Ms. Stout in action during French class. Well, just look at her in those funny rolling healthy-looking shoes! Learning French from an American teacher who throws in a bit of accented German from time to time just isn't exciting enough, so let's take a few pictures. So quite unbeknownst to said teacher a bit of filming was going on. As soon as the perps had left the premises, two other really sweet-faced boys informed me what had transpired.
Within an hour, I was mentioning this bizarre episode to my mentor, and an "official response" swung into action. This event was definitely not to be swept under the carpet. In fact, the school leadership had been waiting for just such an opportunity to drive home the consequences of breaking newly-instated regulations regarding cell phones at school. First, it had to be determined which class these boys belonged to because French class is made up of pupils from three different grade 7 classes. Then the lead teacher of their class was asked to intervene. Within minutes, the phones were confiscated and the boys were called individually into the headmaster's office. Calls were made to parents, where they were informed that a letter of apology from their sons would have to be presented to the victim before any phones would be returned.
In this case, one family was quick to respond. One is still thinking about whether they want their cell phone back. The next time this class met the two squirrels were separated with a minimum of fuss and the whole class seemed somewhat subdued. I must add that these 12-year-olds impress me everyday with how well they are learning French. Since English was their first foreign language, they still sometimes want to speak English to me, as a default "second language", not because they stop to think that yes I am a native speaker of English. As a group they are eager to learn and willing to do the work. One moment they are asking when the first exam will be written and carefully copying the date down. But once the bell rings, the room turns into a gymnasium, where mini-recess reigns. The boys will wrestle and throw each other around out in the hall and then possibly ask the next teacher for a pass to the office to get ice for a sprained thumb.
After every two periods (each period lasts for 45 minutes), there is a longer break: die grosse Pause. At this point most go outside into the court yards for a bit of fresh air. Teachers are assigned supervision around the school premises before and after school and during breaks. Most folks, kids and teachers, alike are munching on healthy tidbits. I have seen plastic boxes of cucumber slices, fresh red pepper slices, and fruit sections. I really believe these second breakfasts make a big difference in the ability to focus on learning. On the other hand, grabbing a quick candy bar only stimulates more hunger. I guess you could call that empty calories.