I’m almost afraid to jinx things for the folks at the middle school where I work, but I am so excited I have to provide an update.
The staff and students were shining. I was thrilled. I spent the first two hours of school as a warm body to help move students who were confused to their classes and just lend any support I might at the middle school.
The smartly-colored concrete floors shone with the luster of full polish and promise; the students were bright in the two stories of sunlight that penetrated the all-window atrium. The man for whom the school is named, former Austin Mayor Gus Garcia greeted students as they entered the building. I met him briefly and wanted to hug him–things looked great to start the day.
Kids were nervous. A sixth grade teacher smiled and met them inside the building and had directions for where to send the kids. All of them kept saying they were nervous. Oh, middle school. And somehow (maybe because I worked in high school for too long) they looked so cute. I know they will be difficult; I know they are not fully innocent. But so cute…
I met a brand new teacher, today. He had lived with his family where he went to college in Corpus Christi, and today was his first day. He didn’t have the schedules for his homeroom kids, and he was nervous. He just moved here, just like the new Spanish teacher. I hoped and hoped for them that things will go well. I smiled at them and so many students…
The spirit of the teachers was one that was absolutely positive, almost confident. I was talking with one of the folks from “downtown” (AISD Central Office) who was helping out with registrations (warm body, like me), and he spotted the Assistant Superintendent come in at about 9:30. I hoped the Assistant Super liked what he saw; I did.
It wasn’t my first day as a teacher at this school, and that felt funny. I was very much the observer. On the other hand, it felt good. So many good people in that building. And my first first (in terms of being a student) will be Wednesday… I think… unless something happens to my schedule.
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I had my first “What the heck am I doing here?” moment a few days ago when I couldn’t register for a course I was dying to take. It was ugly. I begged, got my sort-of advisor to do my bidding–no good. So I have him bidding for another class, and I’m not getting any answers. This puts me into a dubious position of taking a class I’m not sure I need or want. But at least I’ll have two that I had wanted to take (rounding me out with three classes and fulltime student status). I guess this is kind of normal, but a bump in the road for sure.
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