We’re in it, Baby! The school year has begun, and both Phil and I (for the first time in 14 years!) are enjoying getting to know our new classes. I do this every year, but Phil is reacquainting himself with August start-up as a professor. So far, so good.
Ben has not been in school for four years, so he is slowly losing his connection to the rhythms of the academic school year. He’s a working man. (Kind of.) He gets up in the morning, does his chores, and is off for a day of volunteering, exercise, and socializing.
This week, Ben and I made homemade pizza! I realize now that I never took a single picture of him in the execution of this meal. You’ll just have to trust that he was there, contributing and monitoring my every move.
Hear that sizzle?
What Ben liked: the pepperoni, red sauce, mozzarella, hot honey pizza
What Ben ate but wouldn’t write home about: the pesto, fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil pizza
What Ben gave a hard pass to: ricotta, fresh fig, blue cheese, and parmesan pizza
As the eater of all of these, I can tell you that every pizza we made was great. As the teacher in a roomful of unique learners, I can tell you that every day is brand new fresh. I try to control the variables, but I never actually know if I’m going to get pepperoni, tomato, or fig with blue cheese.
In my classroom, I keep a file folder called “Kid Stuff” that goes back 30+ years. Sometimes, I pull something out and read it, trying to remember the kid and the context. I have a ream of notes with the oxymoronic, though heartfelt message, “your the best teacher.” It is exactly what I need when my day has gone belly up and I need a reminder of why teaching is the best, even if I’m not.
Sometimes I misfile these gems. There is a picture that I recently found at the back of a file cabinet that was drawn in a computer program. (Are they even called programs anymore? I don’t know.) It depicts a beaming domestic goddess wearing an apron, pulling brownies out of an oven with protective oven mitts. It is labeled “Ms. Yoder”. (Let’s call her pepperoni pizza.) On the reverse side is another picture of Ms. Yoder. She has yellow, dagger-like fangs and malevolent, red, slanty-down eyebrows. (Naturally, she’s blue cheese and fig pizza.) That year I had twins in my room, and each was responsible for a different version of Ms. Yoder. I guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what the day in the classroom will bring!
As we throw ourselves into a new school year, I will attempt to bring more pepperoni pizza to the table.