the blitz

As for first days, the day went well. There are many kinks left to adjust; c'est la vie. Overall impressions: I like my kids and I'm good at being strict (sense of humor and matter-of-factness are key). I spent most of my day reading the student code of conduct out loud. (Yes, it was riveting when I read it. I have drama in spades. I did stumble over the "sexual organs" part: it goes on to list what they're referring to. I choked and then recovered. I didn't ask, "Any questions?" after that one.)

In my core classes, we talked strengths and goals. The tone was positive and realistic. I told them that goals had to concrete and qualifiable. "Better" is not a goal based on my criteria. The stand out for strengths was I asked, "What are you really good at? What do you love to do?"
He looked straight at me and said sheepishly, "Mow the lawn."
I grinned, "That's cool."
He looked back at his sheet of paper and wrote nothing.
"What do you like about working in the yard? Being outside? The physical nature? Sense of completion?"
He considered what I said and answered, "I like to work."
I said something like "nifty" or "awesome-- that will serve you well throughout life."

His earnestness and simplicity struck me as rare and good. How few people would say: I like to work. This kid is headed for a good life in a Wendell Berry sort of way.

There's this tough fragility to my kids. As they walked around the track, I was looking at both little kids and adults-- this maturing thing is a slow transition. I'm at awe at how articulate some of them are, and then several take off their shoes and drop kick them over other kids oblivious to the harm that could happen. And, at lunch I didn't have a seating chart so there was a boy table and a girl table. We'll see how long that lasts.

The day went by extremely quickly, and I am tired. When reviewing my day, I realized my propensity to dwell on the patches of issues (that could and should be addressed) instead of the delight. As far as commutes go, mine is top drawer. It's beautiful with fun, curvy roads. I only had to yell "Quiet" four times. Things will settle down. We'll have fun and learn a lot.

When I asked the Chief what she was looking forward to in the coming year, she said, "The kids."

She's right.