School Schmool.

There is a common misconception that students dread going back to school more than teachers. I would argue that it is the reverse. As I got ready this morning to go to school, I was thinking, "If I was still on summer vacation, I could lay in bed and read for another hour." "If I didn't have to go to school, I could watch The Price Is Right at 11." "If the accursed first day of school hadn't befallen us, I could go to my aunt and uncles' pool this afternoon." etc. Matters only got worse when I went outside and it was 80 degrees and sunny. They should pass a law that the first day of school should be overcast, chilly, with a misty rain.

As a "Specials Teacher" I didn't actually have to teach today. It was only a half day at the school where I work, so the kids met their teachers, found their lockers, and got settled in. Meanwhile the classroom teachers made sure their classrooms were set up, tried to remember 20+ names, corralled kids from one thing to the next, dealt with students who were hating life either because they'd rather be home playing video games or because they'd rather be home with their mommy, and were generally pulled from place to place like a marionette.

Tomorrow I get to start. The difference between what I do and what a classroom teacher does are subtle: I have to remember not 20+ names, but around 190 names; I don't have a classroom to get set up, but an office and a cart; I get to push said cart from room to room and be a guest in each classroom (so I don't have to corral the kids, but get corralled myself); I also have to deal with students who'd rather not be at school, but also with the ones who think, "Art is stupid." or "This is lame." or "I can't let my friends think I like art." etc. I call them Minimalists: those who do as little as possible but at least do something so I don't report them to their teacher or send them to the office. I'm basically a glorified baby-sitter for these kids.

Do I sound like I'm excited? Well I AM! Okay, part of that may have been forced enthusiasm, but some of it was sincere. While there are those Minimalists, there are also the saviors of teachers: those students who really do love art, and who are so excited when I show up in their classroom each week. I love it when a student really identifies with a project and discovers a talent s/he may not have known they had. I love getting silly pictures drawn by kids especially for me. It's awesome when students bring in art projects they've done at home and share them with me.

While I, like most other teachers (except for those nutty ones who live to teach...), have been bemoaning the end of summer, I know that being back in school will be the time of my LIFE! I mean, I haven't had as much fodder for my blog as I'd've liked this summer (well, I may have had some fodder, but that's none of your beeswax, thank you very much), and now...! Just wait till I start blogging about the kid who sneezed in my face, or the class that made me run out of the room crying and questioning my career choice, or the apology notes I got from the kids who were misbehaving and forced to write the notes by their teacher...

Ah, Back to School...a magical time of year.