Heard in the Hallways

"I don't need need a nametag-- my name is unforgettable!" ~one of 137 new students

"Will I breathe fire?" ~Z when I told him his classroom was near the Dragon Team.

"What can I do to help with that class? It was unlike anything else I saw today!" ~my co-teacher after our 6th period, 28 student inclusion class

"It's time to go home already? Well, that was a fast day!" ~new 6th grader after the final bell

"1 down, 179 to go!" ~principal in our "quick stand-up faculty meeting debrief"

Brace Yourself

The bills are paid; the errands are run; the house is clean; the pool is closed; the alarms are set for zero dark thirty; and my writing notebook has a fancy new cover.

I guess I'm ready to start school.

No Sour Grapes

When life gives you bland cantaloupes?

Make cantaloupe vinegar!

Let it ferment a bit reader and get back to me.

Two Minds

I ran into a pair of former students when I was walking the dog this afternoon. "Hey twins!" I hailed them. "Are you ready for seventh grade?"

They answered simultaneously:
"NO!"
"Yes!"

I laughed, unsurprised.

They are fraternal twins.

Not that Funny

It was close to 6:30 when I carried three grocery bags and a basket full of produce from the garden through the parking lot and up the stairs to our unit. A quart container of heirloom beans teetered on top of the yellow squash, okra, peppers, and so, so many tomatoes.

"Don't spill the beans!" I said to myself, and then I laughed.

And then I spilled the beans.

Welcome to Sixth Grade

"How was the open house?" Heidi asked when she picked me up at 5:30 this evening.

"They seemed nervous," I started.

"That's pretty normal, right?" she said.

"I'm talking about the parents!" I told her.

It could well be that more kids means more parents, and more parents means more anxious parents. I think I was pretty reassuring, but even so?

I'm buckling up.

Idiosyncratic

There were a few more meetings today, but fortunately they involved concrete planning for the rest of this week and next, when students will actually be present, first at the open house tomorrow, and then for the opening days of school starting next Tuesday.

My room is coming together, too, although when I left this afternoon it was definitely in that storm before the calm stage, with boxes on the floor and posters and supplies strewn about all seven(!) tables. BUT, the bookshelves were unwrapped, and many items had been restored to their customary place.

In fact, a little glow of satisfaction warmed me in the air-conditioned chill as I considered those placements, well-tweaked after 24 years in the same room. Just then a new teacher came in to return the magnetic tape. She remembered that I had produced it from the bookshelf by my desk. "Does this just go on top?" she asked.

"Oh no," I replied, "it goes right here." And I slid it between the candy can and the metal file sorter next to it. "See how it sticks, because it's magnetic?" I asked.

Her face was polite, but blank, and for a moment I saw the room through her eyes.

"Signs you've worked in a space a little too long," I shrugged, and we laughed. "But now you know where to find it when you need it!" I said.