The rest if the week- A whirlwind

Day?  The rest of the week

The start of school is always hectic.  Not knowing the systems makes it even more hectic.  Training on the school’s grade book program (which isn’t really the school’s grade book program because the one they use can crash and thus grades are lost), some curriculum program called Atlas (which everyone seems to know about but me because they have been overseas a while) and attendance system (which really there is no attendance system because everyone knows all the kids so they take roll once a day) has been tedious and daunting.  And then there are the kids.  One of the first assignments I gave the 8^th graders was to write me a friendly letter of introduction.  I did the same and shared mine the first day.  They are such good writers!  Most were the usual and yet it gave me a little insight into their lives. Here is one snippet that made me smile: “ I know I am going to like you very much because I like new experiences. I have never had a teacher with your kind of voice. You know? Your voice is totally awesome! I like that voice. It is like a cowboy voice. You have a voice that everyone wants to hear in very popular cartoon shows. So please do not try to talk like an American. I love your normal voice. And please don’t let other people say your voice is weird, just because it is unique. Your Lovely new student, ___.”  Omgosh, how cute is that??  Another is an “ exciting, yet easily annoyed person.  I tend to do things I regret that give me valuable lessons in the end.”  I think I will grow to love these 8^th graders.

We were suppose to have Thursday off, but the moon was not full until Friday so the administrative team rushed around getting letters out to inform the students and parents that the full moon holiday will be Friday. Yeah for three-day weekends; we worked but- no students. The week ended with a traveling happy hour at the young teachers’ apartments- up four flights of stairs to the “penthouses”. They went out later- I went home.  Did I ever have such energy and if so, when did I get so old?