What In Tarnation?!?!?

Well my first year is over and I made it. As I think about all that this year brought, and I am speaking strictly professionally, I think that it has been very successful.

My class, who at the beginning of the year, prompted many other teachers to say something like, “Oh, Chris, I’m so sorry. I’m not sure how a class like that got together.” turned out to be a bunch of kids that I am extremely proud of. They may not have been the best behaved class, but we had character and lots of it!!!! I think I actually made a difference too! That is a satisfying feeling. Hearing the principal say that the class is totally different from the beginning of the year and they are one of the most caring and sharing classes in school makes me think that something was done correctly.

Parents of the children, have been WAY too kind to me. They have said some very kind things supporting what I have done and encouraging me to continue.

I could not have landed at a better school. Wyman is quite simply the best! The second grade faculty has been the best of the best. We have gotten along so well, not one single argument, which is rarely heard of. When I got the job I was concerned about second grade. It was the grade that I knew the least about. Looking back, I can say that being in second grade has been a blessing, simply because of the people that I work with.

The folks at Wyman have a tradition on the last day of school. As the last bus is leaving the bus room, all the teachers line the halls clapping while the song Celebrate is played over the intercom. Then after all the students are gone the real fun begins! All the teachers that are retiring are given a paper crown and are loaded up on a cart that is decorated with streamers. They are pushed down the hall toward the doors “for the last time” and they toss candy to the teachers lining the hall. After that, teachers who are able, do cartwheels down the halls and then the teachers who are… not so able join in by doing somersaults, pseudo-cartwheels and quite frankly, flopping about on the floor. It is quite a sight. This year we were even treated to sight of the retiring teachers dancing back down the hall. It was a good time. Teachers from other schools rush over to Wyman just to see all the fun.

It is awesome to look back over this year and see how what I originally thought was chance (being hired at Rolla) and happenstance (ending up in second grade) and in some cases misfortune (THIS CLASS?!?!?!?) turned out to be God’s totally awesome plan. Before I got this job I was beginning to worry and wonder if I was even going to get a job. I had the ignorance to question God’s sovereignty over everything. It is nice to sit back and acknowledge that now.

Now on to next year…

Class dismissed!

The librarians at my school like to make life difficult for me. I don’t know why. I have been nothing but nice to them but they continue to just complicate my life.

For example. The day before Christmas break I was going to show A Charlie Brown Christmas to the class. Some other teacher with more senority than I wanted the film and so the film that I got was called The Pebble, or something like that. It was basically about these peguins wanting to mate and they attract the opposite sex by carrying around a pebble. Ugh! Jeff yelled (cause he yells everything), “Mr. Wright, is this movie rated G?”

Well they continued to complicate my life Moday when they allow, Cain (not his real name) to check out a book about hamsters. Innocent enough, right? Not so much. Cain brought up the book and asked, “Mr. Wright, what does mounting mean?”

“What?”

Cain showed me the book with a picture of a hamster on top of another one. The caption: “To mate, a hamster will mount…” I don’t remember the rest nor do I remember what I said to him.

Let’s just say, vengence is a dish best served cold!

Class dismissed!

*NOTE* The above is to be read as a sarcastic diatribe and slightly blown out of proportion. The librarians are actually very helpful, unless they are angry and then they become kinda unpleasant. (That is sarcastic too.)