Back to School...

I know, I know, it's been AGES since I've written on this thing. And my friends can attest to the fact that since the school year began for me last Tuesday, I have been scarce. Gone are the days of waking at ten, vegging with Bailey on the couch and maybe making it out the door by one o'clock. Gone are those glorious hours spent by the edge of some glistening pool in an apartment complex that foolishly believes I'm a resident there-ha! Gone are the chances to grab lunch with a working friend or a late night movie with Dyama or some other nocturnal friend. So sad...

However, there is the freshness of the first day of school to look forward to. Remember choosing that all important outfit? Yeah, you still do that as a teacher. Only now I have to find something that not only looks good and is at the height of fashion, but I also have to be able to move around/bend over/crouch down in it and imply some sort of unquestionable authority. So, I think I'll go with pants (Carlye swears by this) and some cute accessories. Fourth grade girls just love accessories.

Cross-Country season started today and I am proud to say that there were more girls than boys! This is the place where I get to connect with former students and love on them in a more relational way than the classroom allows. I always feel a little guilty at the start of the season. You see, practice is 3:00 to 4:30. In the afternoon. In sweltering, humid NC summer. I myself wouldn't dream of going out to run before 6:30. But we'll push these budding runners into the sun and promise them that the payoff will be sweet at that first XC meet.

All in all, it's not as if it's back to "the grind" for me. I love my job and I'm lucky enough to work at a fabulous school. This morning's "Meet the Teacher" open house was a gleeful reminder of why I do what I do. As my darling new kids wandered into the room, some full of confidence and some tenative, I wondered what the year will hold. Who among the girls will be my fellow drama queens whose passion I can nurture? Who are my bookworms? What young scamp will be my resident nature expert? What difficult conflicts will arise that teach us to love each other better? These are the questions that float through my mind. Well, that and the fleeting thought that I just might not remember how to do all this! I'll let you know after 2:30 tomorrow...