Blog Archive

8.02.2010

am I right side up, or upside down?

I finished the majority of changes to my classroom.
kinda happy about it.

I had to help out with some minor things at school, and let me just tell you,  the first day of school is always soooo exciting.

The kids have eyes which express their happy/nervous/about-to-vomit/excited/scared insides.
But, at 7:30 am, there are a few smiles on any of the faces.

There are tight shoulders carrying over-sized backpacks, parents who look side to side with hidden irritation/happiness holding bags and bags of school supplies,  and the the occasional younger sibling with a red-nose, wiping their eyes because someone is leaving their world from 7am-2pm from this point on...

This (unique) energy only occupies the campus on the first day of school.
Everything is new, crayon boxes are sharp, pencils still have a full coating of yellow, and erasers are still in the package.

it's very neat.

But, today's true joy , was watching the teachers.
(ya, ya, ya...hush!)

These are grown adults trying to hide their excitement.
I can see them repeating their welcome speeches behind their dazed stare, and I can see them smiling to themselves while thinking of little anecdotes, and their body silhouettes pace from the desk to the front of the class, and back again.

Some of them are tanned from the summer, others of them are wearing new clothes--secretly hoping that they broke in their new pair of shoes before the first day, and some of them...sadly... look exactly the same.

They go through the routines, and when the bell rings, for the first day--and only the first few moments of class, the campus is dead-quiet.

you could hear a blade of grass fall during the first 5 minutes of the first day of school.

I felt like I had to tippy-toe around the classes, and hide behind bushes and buildings because it was so still...
but, as we all know, after taking in air and holding it in, we all exhale...

and with the exhalation, school: with all of the squeaky chairs, breaking of pencil tips, un-even tables, giggles and blushing cheeks, tattle-tales, hands running through hair trying to pronounce/remember names, and somewhere between recess and lunch...learning begins.

**winnie.

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