¡Hoy es viernes!
The bond of a class tradition
It only seems fitting on the first Friday of the year to reflect on a tradition that became a favorite for me and my students. It connected us across the years, even long after they graduated.
If you were to bump into any former student of mine on a Friday and yell, “¡HOY ES VIERNES!” You’d be sure to get a shout in return, “¡POR FIN!”
Looking back, I never imagined the “silly” little idea to celebrate Fridays (inspired by my own high school Spanish teacher, Mr. Meredith who inspired me to become a teacher) would stick. Or, that it would morph into variations of an expected weekly celebration that would yield a trove of memories that continue to make me smile years later.
The Evolution of the Tradition:
The first year:
On random Fridays, I would wait outside the class during the passing period until after the final bell. With all the students seated in class, I would open the door slowly, peek my head into the room, pause, and wait for all eyes to be on me. After calling out “¡Clase!” to grab their attention a bit more, I’d inquire, “¿Saben qué?” (You know what?!).
After another pause . . . then a shout:
“¡HOY ES VIERNES!” (Today is Friday.)
My declaration prompted the students’ in-unison celebratory response:
“¡POR FIN!” (Finally!)
The second year:
I almost forgot about celebrating Fridays during the first weeks of classes until a student whose sibling had been in my class the previous year inquired, “Aren’t we going to do the ‘celebrate Friday thing?’”
From there, the tradition stuck! It became a weekly celebration that I couldn’t escape without getting kicked out of the room with a “do-over” to start class appropriately.
Subsequent years:
The tradition evolved and I added additional antics.
— Running into the room, throwing my hands up in celebration as I yelled “¡HOY ES VIERNES!
— Occasionally recruiting unsuspecting passersby after the final bell rang — both staff and students — to serve as unexpected stand-ins for me. They would take my place running into the room to kick off the celebration. These cameo appearances sometimes required a quick mini-lesson in Spanish for them to learn their line!
— Hiding somewhere in the classroom before class, to change up my usual appearance from in the hallway. Instead, I’d surprise them by jumping out from under a desk, from behind the projector screen or curtain, or from inside the closet.
The ¡”Hoy es viernes!” T-shirt
In May of 2007 we decided to celebrate our final Fridays together by designing a class T-shirt that we all could wear. The t-shirt would also serve as a year-end “gift” to remember our class and our weekly tradition.
We brainstormed designs ideas. Against my protests, the students insisted on including an image of me peeking into the class from the hallway (after all, “that’s what made the tradition the tradition,” they retorted). After a very lengthy discussion to decide what color the t-shirt should be, I fondly remember the student who declared, “It has to be Brown!!” to commemorate, “the only color you ever wear, Señora!!!” It was unanimously decided!
The students sketched their ideas on the blackboard, then nominated our class artist, Tracy Matz, to create the final design. And the first “¡Hoy es viernes!” class t-shirt was born:
Some of my colleagues decided to join in on the tradition and sport hoy es viernes t-shirts too.
The t-shirt tradition stuck. In subsequent years, the students picked a different color to distinguish their class, and instead of waiting until May, we ordered them the first weeks of classes so we could wear them on Fridays throughout the year.
Celebrating Fridays Around The World
After a couple years, the t-shirt tradition evolved, expanding beyond the classroom. One year, feeling nostalgic as graduation day neared, I suggested to the students that they continue to celebrate future Fridays wherever they were in the world. I urged them to send me photos with them in their t-shirts, I promising to put them on my class bulletin board. I wasn’t so sure they would oblige me, but some did, and a new dimension of the tradition was born: Celebrating Fridays Around the World.
I created the bulletin board to display the first submissions as promised. Little did I imagine how the idea would take off! Each year, more and more students would send photos of their Friday celebrations from places near and far. After several years the bulletin board doubled in size.
They also send documentation in the form of video clips. Some of my favorites include Mr. Heintz and his wife celebrating atop Machu Picchu, and AJ celebrating in a plaza in Spain. There were even a few live-captured videos of me during the classroom celebration, with one that was edited by a student during the very same class period. She added some fun special effects and “mysteriously” had it ready to pop up on the screen, to share with the whole class, just before the bell rang.
The tradition has carried on, even in the years since I moved out of the classroom in my new role as Teaching and Learning Facilitator.
Who knows? Maybe the tradition might live on even after I retire. Maybe this post will inspire new submissions — or re-submissions even — of photos that I’d love to add to the gallery below.
Looking back, I’m reminded how important classroom traditions are. What starts as a silly little tradition, can evolve into something special, that creates bonds and memories — little treasures — that last a lifetime.
