When My Students Planned a Surprise

I teach high school Spanish, and my students found out it was my twentieth year of teaching. I have no idea how.

On the last day before winter break, I walked into my classroom to find the lights off, balloons everywhere and thirty-two teenagers screaming "¡Felicidades!" They had made a giant card covered in messages in Spanish, some grammatically perfect, many wonderfully not. "Gracias por ser muy simpática y por los tacos." "Usted es la mejor profesora del universo." "I still don't understand the subjunctive but I love you."

They'd also made a playlist of every song I've ever used in class, which was mostly Shakira.

We danced for the entire period. I didn't teach a single verb. It was the best lesson I've ever given.