The First Days of School

The school year is officially underway. Kids are back. They are in the classrooms and I'm.....well, I'm not.

I had a first day of school but I wasn't in my classroom playing my two favorite back to school games or explaining some basic procedures including what to do if you need to throw up.***
I was in my office working on schedules and going over TAKS scores to identify at-risk kids. It was kind of weird but wonderful at the same time. It is weird because I am realizing that I'm not going to have relationships with kids the way I use to. But wonderful because I like what I'm doing, I'm not stressed and I'm not too terribly jaded yet. Plus, I'm working on my administrative internship for grad school....and about half of what I do for my job will count. Woohoo!!

***About the throwing up thing: I get grossed out easily and would never want a kid to throw up in my class. All good teachers know that at the beginning of the year you go over your procedures and have the kids practice them multiple times. Well, I always spend the first day practicing the throwing up procedure. 1) Jump up out of your chair. 2) Run across the room. 3) Grab the trash can 4) Step into the hallway and vomit. It is silly and fun and helps the nervous little 6th graders relax. And when a new kid arrives later in the year someone is always eager to show them the other procedures (getting their folders, where the bathroom passes are, etc) because they know they'll get to demonstrate the vomitting procedure. Plus, it is pretty memorable when your teacher talks about throwing up on the first day of school. I'm not sure if this is what Harry Wong had in mind but it is fun and I've only had one kid throw up in my class in 5 years.....and that was a complicated issue.