day eight: arrivals
So after making sure everyone was accounted for with the bus shop, I spent the morning getting ready for the kiddos to arrive. Chalked the weekly schedule up on the board. Got the popsicle sticks ready in their little yellow boxes to use for counting the days of school. Some other last-minute preparations.They were so cute and full of innocence (most of them) and excitement (most of them) when they hopped down the steps of the bus. We walked into the room and went over the routine and expectations before getting started with some real schoolin'. All in all a great day.
After a few errands I stopped and picked up a roasted chicken and some french bread for a quick dinner before G had to go to the church. At the end of a long day it feels so good to sit at the table and look into the eyes of my family. I breathe more regularly and I rest, even if just for 20 minutes. So so crucial.
Adam gathered his final things we had forgotten on Monday night and said his final farewells, which included hugging his two younger brothers, who had both, during the week, privately told me they would miss their big brother. It was sweet to watch. Boys sometimes give big hugs, but they are quick and often followed by a joke or a cough. I have seen it over and over again, even from the gentle guys in my family. A little lump in my throat as an observer.
After dropping off my son I met some friends at a play and laughed and cried and cried again. It was so good for me to sit in that back row seat and be entertained for a couple of hours. As a teacher we think like entertainers, so being an audience member is a nice change.
Then driving home in the dark I found myself cutting through campus and slowing down, just a bit, as I passed the dorms. I thought of the parents who had sent their own children off to my class today. We had that in common.
6 comments
Sounds like it was a really nice day overall.
The first day with the kiddos, always an eye opener. I hope you got your chocolate fix after a day like yesterday.
I hope Adam had a good first night in the dorm.
Your students have no idea how lucky they are to be in your class, but I don't think it will take them very long to figure it out.
The other day when we were outside under the willow tree FG told me how much he's going to miss Adam. It was a wonderfully endearing little moment.
I'm disappointed to have missed the play, but Gwyneth's first soccer game was pretty entertaining, too. :)
As a kid I always loved the feeling of school starting over. As I got older---mostly I just dreaded school again:) I can't imagine what it'll be like when I have my own kids. Yikes.
Glad you had a good first day.
Hope your son enjoys his dorm room experince.
Life is cyclical, isn't it. They leave, and then they leave, and then they leave again. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the next round.
Thankfully that will be a while.
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