The School Year Comes Stormin' In

I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
--Bob Dylan, "Shelter from the Storm"

Freshman Day on Monday was a fine dress rehearsal for being at school with students around, but it really had none of the pop of a real first day of school. Especially since I have no freshman. A colleague and I were assigned a group of 25 newbies to lead around to various information gathering stations. It was an easy two hours, and it was quite a boon to have a colleague around, since I could have easily gotten us all lost!

The afternoon was a presentation of Makin' It Count. A sort of pep rally for high school--it introduces the kiddos to the stakes of secondary ed (i.e., post-secondary ed). So, come on, kids, do your best from the very first day, and all your dreams will come true! You know, that kind of stuff.

Today was the real deal, albeit an hour shorter than normal. All week classes dismiss an hour early. It makes sense--saves everyone from having to change up their schedules when the inevitable early dismissal due to heat is announced. My American Lit classes will be good, I think. Most of the kids seem good, and the ones that might be trouble are the good kind of trouble. My sophomores, on the other hand...they might be just plain hard.

I'll be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to them very much, and one day is no certain reflection on the future, AND, really, they weren't that bad. But, I was just unprepared for what I was to find. They are so different from juniors, it's amazing. They didn't smell like I thought they would, but they still have a great deal of freshman squirrelly in them. It is clear that I will have to manage like I have never managed before. It will be good for me--but that doesn't mean I'm gonna like it.

All in all, a good start to the week. I am starting to figure things out here. We'll see how things shape up. I just need to find me a couple of drinking partners!

On a side note, we had us a hell of a storm here yesterday. Lost power for about three hours (7-10). I sat in the dark listening to my headphones the whole time. It was a pretty relaxing way to spend my last night before seeing the kiddos. It kept my anxiety down, perhaps.