As a principal, I\u2019ve seen a lot of things. But nothing prepared me for the day last year when I got \u201ca-quack-ed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Imagine this: I walk into my office, ready for a typical afternoon of emails, meetings, and decision-making. But something\u2019s off. There\u2019s an unusual sense of stillness in the room, a quiet\u2014too quiet\u2014until I notice a tiny yellow beak peeking out from behind my computer monitor.<\/p>\n
And then another.<\/p>\n
And another.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, I realize there are mini plastic ducks everywhere.<\/p>\n
In my pencil cup, perched on top of the bookshelf, nestled inside my plant pot. There\u2019s even one floating in my half-full coffee cup.<\/strong><\/span> As I look around, trying to figure out what on earth has happened, I spot a card sitting on my desk.<\/p>\n The card says: \u201cYou\u2019ve been a-QUACK-ed! Find the 100 ducks. From, Theo.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Ahh, Theo! Evidently, he and his educational assistant (EA), Mrs. Marlene Kammenos were responsible for the a-quack.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t resist.<\/p>\n I called Theo over the intercom, trying to sound as serious as I could, and asked him to come to my office. Not 30 seconds later, I hear footsteps. Theo comes jogging in, wearing a big guilty grin, absolutely beaming with excitement. He knew exactly why I had called him.<\/p>\n His grin said it all: \u201cMission Accomplished.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n As it turns out this wasn\u2019t a random act of quackery\u2014it was a well-planned operation. Theo had been working on counting to 10 and making groups of 10 that equal 100 for weeks, and his EA found the perfect way to turn it into a memorable and meaningful experience. What better way to celebrate reaching his goal than hiding 100 plastic ducks all around the principal\u2019s office and leaving me to find them?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As I start counting and collecting the ducks, Theo eagerly helps me spot the ones he\u2019d hidden in the cleverest places. One is inside my desk drawer. Another tucked behind a stack of papers. There\u2019s even one hidden in my coat pocket. With every duck I find, Theo bursts into laughter<\/strong><\/span> and counts along with me, as proud as can be.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just about the ducks anymore. It\u2019s about making connections and celebrating learning in a way that\u2019s joyful for him.<\/p>\n This moment, though silly on the surface, was a shining example of how we embrace differentiation in our school.<\/p>\n Theo learns best through tactile, playful methods, and this carefully orchestrated prank became a creative vehicle for practicing his counting skills. Not to mention, he strengthened his communication skills by sharing the entire experience with me.<\/p>\n Theo\u2019s ducky invasion brought joy, laughter, and a whole lot of learning into my office.<\/p>\n What I love most about this whole event is how much it reflects the incredible staff we have at our school.<\/p>\n Theo\u2019s EA knew how to connect with him, harness his interests, and turn them into an engaging and unforgettable learning moment. This is what our school is all about: finding innovative, fun ways to help students learn, build relationships, and feel confident in their abilities. This wasn\u2019t just a playful prank\u2014it reflected the positive, inclusive learning culture ACS nurtures.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n And just when I thought it was over, I looked on the back of the card and saw the final instruction: \u201cNow it\u2019s your turn. Use these ducks to a-quack someone else.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Challenge accepted, Theo, challenge accepted.<\/p>\n As I sit here, still finding stray ducks in unexpected places, I can’t help but smile. Learning doesn\u2019t always happen at a desk with pencil and paper. Sometimes, it happens with 100 little plastic ducks, a lot of laughter, and a big sense of accomplishment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As a principal, I\u2019ve seen a lot of things. But nothing prepared me for the day last year when I got \u201ca-quack-ed.\u201d Imagine this: I walk into my office, ready for a typical afternoon of emails, meetings, and decision-making. But something\u2019s off. There\u2019s an unusual sense of stillness in the room, a quiet\u2014too quiet\u2014until I […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":7266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,33],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-7215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-custom-fit-education","category-elementary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7215"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=7215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Well-Planned Operation<\/h2>\n
A Silly, Shining Example<\/h2>\n