One full week into the work calendar...some thoughts:
Teachers all over the country are adjusting their bedtimes and alarm clocks. Some of my teacher friends have been doing the go-to-bed-a-little-earlier, wake-up-a-little-earlier method. Bedtime for me isn't so much about minutes as it is "Star Trek" episodes. My summer escape from coronavirus chaos has been two to three hours of "Star Trek" each night, Sunday through Friday, on a station that runs episodes from five series--the original, then "Next Generation", "Deep Space Nine", "Voyager", and "Enterprise", ending at midnight. Some nights I was up until midnight; most of the time I fell asleep to the opening theme song of the last showing. This past week I've cut back to a few minutes into "Voyager"...but I really need to turn off the TV halfway through "Next Generation" if I'm going to achieve waking up at 430a again.
It's been nice having our college boy home, and the time has gone by fast. I realized with a shock that he heads back north in eight days, which means we'll be following in ten days to move the rest of his belongings to his new apartment. He's been working hard on internship applications, a requirement for his final semester. His college graduation in December is a testament to his willpower to overcome adversity--he began his freshman year three years ago on a liquid diet, barely able to open his mouth after major jaw surgery. I admire his perseverance!
As I was moving some of my stuff into school yesterday, a family approached and asked about registration. After checking in with the registrar, I was able to give them the details about registering online. They were so appreciative, and their little girl waved at me and said goodbye with a smile in her voice. I hope she heard the smile in mine as we communicated with masked faces. My heart leapt a little at this first student interaction, grateful that our first impressions were positive.
I felt a sense of accomplishment this week when I was able to clear almost two tables of items in the library, and moved the contents of two boxes back into the closet which had to be emptied for HVAC work. My library director was right--it's like eating an elephant, one bite at a time. In a way, I'm thankful that school is virtual for the first three weeks, giving me the gift of time to sort this out.
Today is the first gathering of all of the teaching staff, old and new. It will be nice to "see" everyone in one place, even if on a screen, to get a feel for my new learning community. I'm heading back into the library this afternoon to get some work done and help teachers check out needed items. We can do this together, teacher friends!
Your piece is one of the few positive pieces about starting school! You start with your own habits, then write about your son, then yourself back at work. I will remember ‘eating an elephant one bite at a time’ and laugh and feel encouraged- that’s my take-away from your thoughtful, hopeful piece.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have a college child at home. Fills mom's heart. It's good to do something practical, like moving and sorting things. You see the result of your actions instantly. It's good to see others. Connection makes us stronger. You are a librarian, you are a magician, you bring joy whenever you give a book out.
ReplyDeleteI love that you found joy and noted and shared that with us all. I agree that we need to find those little jewels in order to enjoy every bite.
ReplyDeleteWe all have those little routines that bring us comfort, don't we? I have to admit that I've never seen an episode of Star Trek (I know, how is that possible??), but I have my own falling asleep with Steven Colbert on in the background habit to break before school starts.
ReplyDeleteThe original Star Trek -!!! Adored it as a child. My sister and I even got communicators for Christmas one year - I was Kirk and she was Spock - and we couldn't get too far apart or we couldn't hear each other. How times have changed (well, except when the Internet is fritzing). This line reached out and grabbed hold of me: "My heart leapt a little at this first student interaction, grateful that our first impressions were positive." How hungry we are for these interactions. Thank you for every bit of rousing encouragement in this post, Chris.
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