Wednesday, Sept. 08, 2004
Second day, posted at 4:18 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com The school year is still going well, although I see a swell of work approaching in the distance and that's stressing me out a little.The first days of school are reminders of two of my favorite parts of the job - the fresh start you get every year, and the ability to see young people grow. All day the last two days, I've had kids come and say hi. It's nice to see them, to see their smiling faces and hear about their summers. Once a student has had you for a class, it's almost like they own you. They come in, acting as if the two of you have made it through a journey together, and now you have something in common, a history that the both of you can claim as your own. And it's totally true. The kids know my tricks, my strengths, my inconsistencies, my attitudes, my passions. They do own me, in a way.
And the fresh start, it's so nice. I had one girl who decided to have an attitude with me one day last year. I must have been in a bad mood that day, too, and she stormed out of the classroom after a brief altercation. That rarely happens to me, and, when she came back, she never apologized and that pissed me right off. She came in today, and it was like nothing had happened. She's a good girl, a little too proud perhaps, and it was nice to see her again.
The new kids this time of year are like putty in my hands. I can have long pauses while I'm speaking because I lose my train of thought, and they think it's by design and sit there in silent anticipation. By the time 7th period had arrived yesterday, I could just about sleepwalk through the syllabus, and I pretty much did. It's probably best that my 7th period class is low energy, because, well, it is 9th graders and it is 7th period.
My other weird experience so far is teaching honors kids. One girl came in today - in the 9th grade - wearing a shirt with a Shakespeare quote. This is quite a difference from the usual shirts that say things like "Diva" or "A Little Drama Never Hurt Anyone." I thought to myself, "Awww, what a dork" in a completely affectionate way. I really haven't had many dorks in my years of teaching. Since I was a complete dork in high school, this is a neat little change.
Tonight, I have to go to the coaches meeting for the wiffleball team I'm coaching for our department's for the BSSC.