Day One Is Done!

The first day has come and gone. And amazingly it went so well that everyone, from The Principal down to every single teacher, was wondering if something really weird was going on.

Last year, for example, we had the computer system go down, which brought the phone system down, we had kids without schedules (and no way to find schedules because of the computers), and it was mass chaos. We also had a guidance counselor that was worthless which really didn't help matters. (I thank God daily we now have Guidance Goober).

This year all the computers worked. The phones worked. The air conditioning worked. All my kids had schedules. Everyone knew their bus number (Well, okay, I cheated on that - a bunch of us boarded the buses before they unloaded and took markers and wrote bus numbers on the backs of their hands). It just flowed. The Principal looked at me while we loaded buses later that day (which was a little crazy because the bus drivers didn't park in the order they were supposed to - when you have 26 buses to load, it's important that the kids know where to find their bus), and said, "It's almost going too well."

We only do a half day on the first day. Your homeroom spends most of the time with you, and then we do an abbreviated schedule where the kids spend ten minutes in the other classes, basically so they can meet the teacher and find the room. It's pretty hectic and crazy - you only have enough time to call roll, introduce yourself, and then they're off.

The kids were really, for the most part, quiet and well mannered. No one really stood out as a potential troublemaker. My fourth period, the class that's a high mix of both advanced kids and special ed, may be interesting. It seems that the special ed kids I have were known as some of the hardest workers last year. That's good.

Right now I just want to kick pack, drink my Diet coke, and chill. It's 101 outside.