no more teachers' dirty looks
by Willow
I said goodbye to my class a week ago. I cannot overemphasize how weird it is that these little people that I spent six hours a day with for nine months are not mine anymore. We'll all come back to school in the fall but there will be a new person that they will call "my teacher," and there will be new kids that will be "my class." They will not be mine, I will not be theirs. I taught them how to read! I learned the names of their siblings and pets! I gave them extra love when their grandmothers died, and their apartments caught fire, and their friends were mean on the playground. And they gave me extra love when my kitty died, and when I was sick, and when it was my birthday. They were my first class.
The last day of school was surreal. It was a half-day, and it's not like they were going to learn anything anyway, so I took them out for a long recess and we played games together as a class. I let the girls push me on the swings. Let me tell you, those girls are strong! They pushed me high! Then we went back into our room and I put them to work scrubbing and organizing and throwing things away. It was very business-like and the time just flew. Pretty soon it was time for our closing circle. I kept it brief, gave them a chance to reflect on what was special about 1st grade, and what they were excited about for second grade (harder math). I told them that I was proud of them and thanked them for being such a great first class. I told them I was nervous about next year, because what if the new kids weren't as nice or hard working? And they assured me that the kindergartners they knew were all very nice and very hard working. Then the gathered all their stuff in their arms and their backpacks and lined up for the last time at the door to our classroom. I helped a few kids get their belongings together, and when I looked at the line I saw that about half of my kids were standing there, all laden with junk, crying silently. Not showy crying. Not hugging their friends and being dramatic. Just quietly standing and crying. It was heartbreaking. I didn't know how the day would go- if I would be sad, or if they would, or if we would all just be antsy to get out of there. In then end I was quietly crying too as I walked my kids to the busses and then stood on the grass with the other teachers and waved goodbye.
It was hard.
Posted on June 27, 2007 | Comments (4)
Live(blogging) from the courthouse...
by Willow
I am doing my duty.
11:47am
I have now been in the jury room for nearly four hours. They have called jurors for two trials. The first one was a grand jury trial, and thank god I didn't get called for that! Thoe things go on for.ever. and I want none of that. So I'm just hanging out, waiting for our lunch break. I found a table with outlet-access, and I'm sharing it with two other teachers. It's very companionable. There are people around me reading ("Chicken Soup for the Soul," "The Lady and the Unicorn"), while others type away on their laptops or fuss with one of the many jigsaw puzzles. A few people are doing business via cell phone, but they are keeping it pretty mellow. I've tried in vain to get someone to meet me for lunch. Everyone is busy with "work" or "other plans." I also tried to cajole Josh into sneaking me a snack- a watermelon perhaps? No dice. Oh well. I was able to finish one report card. It took me over an hour. Only 20 more to go!
1:33
Got a sweet last minute chat from Curt K which resulted in a lunch date with him, his lady, and his brother! Downtown lunch date! It was awesome. There is an older hippie man in a tie-dye tee shirt with long grey hair who has been working on a landscape jigsaw puzzle all day. I think he's going to finish it! Don't worry, I will give you updates on his progress.
Posted on June 7, 2007 | Comments (9)
10...9...8....
by Willow
I have ten more days of teaching children and then it will be summer. W T F . My first year of first grade is almost over. I'm not going to get all sappy (today) but I just want to note that Something Big in the life of this lady is drawing to a close. I have not had time to fully process this fact however because other things keep snatching my attention away. Like:
* This morning Mike and I left his apartment only to find human shit on the front bumper of my car. That is correct. A human person emptied his or her bowels onto my automobile sometime between 11 last night and 11 this morning. GROSS!!!! DOUBLE GROSS!!! We went immediately to the car wash, but alas a trace amount of shit remains on my passenger-side headlight. GROSS!!!!
* I have jury duty on Thursday. I have never served on a jury or even really been to a courthouse, so I'm kind of excited. I've learned from friends that in the jury waiting area they have coffee and free wi-fi and big tables where you can sit and do your work. I am going to try to get my report cards done while I'm there so that the next day- which is a teacher report card work day- I can sleep in and drink beer. I would like to be called for one short, easy trial. Just to see what it's like. Can I request that? I would prefer a civil trial so that I don't have to deal with blood or violence in any way. As I type this I realize that despite years of watching Law & Order I have no idea how trials work or what it really means to be a juror. Hopefully it means drinking coffee, writing report cards, and declaring "He's Innocent!" after spending no longer than 40 minutes in a courtroom.
* There are many Big Events coming up at school in the next three weeks. On Tuesday afternoon we have our Farm Open House, where parents and our buddy class can come by our room and check out the model farms my students made. Let me tell you how many pink farm houses there are on these model farms: 7. There are also a number or pink silos. And a ninja fish farm. Anyway. Field Day is also coming up, as is our class party in the park. There's going to be pizza! And games! And the parents are going to organize the whole thing! And then pretty soon it will be the last day of school which is actually a half day, which means the kids leave at 10:45. 10:45!!! And that day happens to be Hannah (my teaching partner)'s birthday, so we are going to go straight to her house after the kids leave for a sweet BBQ. And then it will be SUMMER!!! 10 weeks of SUMMER!!!!
* The last thing that is distracting me from deep, thoughtful reflections on this personal and professional milestone is the movie Knocked Up, which I saw this Friday and have not been able to stop thinking/laughing about since. It is literally the funniest movie I have ever seen. Ever. I loved every single second of it and I want to watch it every day until I die. It's that good. You know who I am in love with? Besides Mike? Basically every person in that movie. Especially Paul Rudd. Best Paul Rudd performance of all time. Go see Knocked Up. Right. Now.
!!!UPDATES!!!
Posted on June 3, 2007 | Comments (6)