When the Utopia Ends

It has happened. The honeymoon is over.

Here is the hallway chatter from today:

"It's the weekend!" (with a relieved sigh).

"Thank goodness it's Friday!"

"Math with this class is like being in a very dark place."

Even my student teacher said, "I feel like I've worked really hard this week, putting out fires and keeping kids entertained."

Now that we are eight weeks in, the weather changes, the darker mornings, and Halloween being just around the corner are taking their toll on our up-until-this-point calm beginning to the school year.

Just this morning, I heard someone say, "I think this is the smoothest start we've had since our school opened."

Then this afternoon, I saw two of our repeat offenders from previous years looking chagrined and being marched inside from recess. And these kids had been doing so well.

In my class, a kid stood with his hands down his pants and yelled, "I think I broke the root of my tooth!"

Another one said quite loudly, "I just don't feel the beat! I just don't feel it!"

And yet another brought a plush toy frog to music and, instead of singing "This Land is Your Land," croaked, "Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!"

"Am I doing something wrong?" my student teacher asked.

"No, it just means they feel comfortable with you now. Take it as a compliment."

Then I added, "But don't forget to nail them to the wall if they deserve it."

So we're back. The never-a-dull-moment aspect of my career has resurfaced. As crazy as it sounds, it is why I love my job. And I am sure I will have many more entertaining anecdotes as the year progresses.

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