Twelves

Today at exactly 12:10, as the bell rang to start the lunch period, approximately eight twelve-year-old students came running into my room begging could they please PLEASE use their cell phones to snap a picture of the clock at exactly 12:12:12 on 12/12/12 because, after all, they are twelve years old and did I know that one of them was born at twelve noon? And another's soccer number is twelve? And a third's favorite number is actually three which, wouldn't you know, is the sum of the digits of twelve?

And because I was so shocked by the speed at which they added 1 + 2, never mind that they used the math words sum and digits correctly in a sentence, I nodded my head yes. Then we organized a countdown starting at exactly 12:10:30 and proceeded all the way to 12:12:12, when we all snapped pictures and jumped up and down and turned a cartwheel and threw confetti (read: small pieces of paper highlighted in all the different colors we could find during our 90 second aforementioned countdown). Then we missed recess as the teacher that was, for ninety seconds at least, the absolute coolest became the like, worst ever because is it the custodians job to pick up the confetti that we threw in admiration and celebration of just so many twelves? No. I think not.

Happy triple twelve day, folks. I'd bet most of us adults out there didn't stop our lives and take the time to marvel at all those twelves. So thank you, twelve year old's, for forcing me to do exactly that. I might be your teacher but I have a thing or two to learn from you guys, too.