Harriet Bishop Elementary, Avante-Garde

I've recently been made aware of a practice which, I feel, epitomizes the belief that it is, indeed, the simplest pleasures in life which truly bring the most happiness. Apparently {so the story goes} when you're 6 and the "birthday girl/boy" (or otherwise appointed, one can only assume, by rotation) of your class for the day, you receive the highest honor and privilege of *drumroll* .... smell checking hands after the other kids in your class wash them. Yes. Smell-checking.

Not once. Not twice. But THRICE throughout your bless-ed day!

As you can imagine I was overtaken with the pressing need to give a "Shout Out" to a pioneer in a community of educators who are, frankly, happy to stick with what works. So, I commend you, Harriet Bishop Elementary, for your resolute promotion of value and esteem in our little people on their special days. And let's not forget your commited attempt to maintain a respectable level of hygiene, which I suppose is more than we manage to do with our children on a day-to-day basis.

Albeit a ritual I find bizarre, and, quite honestly, a little disgusting.