The DN

1   Killed it!

2   I asked my colleagues how yesterday's first day of school was.

3   I saw a LOT of smiles and high/low fives by the teachers.

4   There's something about Opening Day that awakens the hope and spirit in everyone.

5   All the theories, meetings, ideas, workshops and training are safely in folders, and quite of a sudden the wheel hits the road with the direct interaction of teachers to students. 

6  It's an annual ritual.

7  Lousy analogy I realize but you get the drift. 

8  Last week I flipped my classroom so that my desk sits overlooking the East Hills, as well as the football and baseball fields. Up to now my desk had been in a much gloomier spot in the room.

9   It forced me to get up, move around, and move across the room to be in front of the class. The blue sky and sunshine energized me.

10  The day was divided up into half-hour classes, beginning in the late morning. We had most of the morning to put the final touches on our classrooms. My room sparkled!

11  EVERYTHING worked yesterday, and not just in my classroom!

12  When everything works for the teacher, it enhances the enthusiasm of the students. 

13  I gave them the usual welcome and stuff, told them a few things, and then had them group up to answer one question. It's a MENSA question. Here is how it goes:

"I am a man. If Larry's son is my son's father, what is my relationship to Larry?"

14  I instantly grouped them and told them to figure it out. I put on Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes mix while they jawed about it. All ears and braces, and puppy dog smiles.

15  Instant enthusiasm. Arguments. EVERYBODY talked about it and had personal theories. I heard comments like, "We're the 'I' group, Mr. Harrington! We begin our diagnosis with the 'I' in the question!" "We're the 'his father group'!"

16  I gave them just three or four minutes, jumping from one group to the other to hear their thoughts. 

17  Because it hit them so quickly, they were a bit off their various games.

18  Answers ran from "His grandfather!" "His father!" "His son!" "I am Larry!" "His uncle!"

19   If it were quiet, they could logically think it through with an answer that presents itself readily.

20  Ah, it was fun. Not everyone loved it, but the majority jumped in and joined in the guessing. Jack Johnson jazzy. It spun around and was great fun.

21  Ah, it worked. 

22   I gambled that if you are a fifteen-year old kid, all you want out of school the first day is to listen to all the boring rules, pray you don't have a boring teacher, and go home. 

23   And pray you don't have a teacher who will kill you with homework. 

24  What you don't expect is a lively lesson with the spin of Jack Johnson playing Curious George songs in the background, and an enigmatic question to ponder and bat around. 

25  The room was lit using natural light from outside coming in through the cathedral windows. The air conditioning kept it cool, between 68 and 70. The room held its own with the surrounding Renaissance masks almost dancing in their splendor, and everything clean and polished. 

26   I sat looking out the window at the hills, knowing the answer to the question they had just been asked.

27  My heart flew back into teaching for the first time in almost a year. It felt like old times, only happening live.

28 After school every teacher I saw had a remarkable day! I think it's because they weren't afraid to be themselves and use things they KNOW work. 

29  Two of our best younger teachers broke into immense smiles and laughter, lots of "Woo-HOOOOS".

30  Did I punctuate that correctly?

31  Even in the parking lot we felt great camaraderie and lots of good vibes. 

32  Looking forward to the remainder of the week. They've made it easily manageable for us, so I'm ready to turn it up a notch. When teaching happens, it is the stuff of champions.

33  A whole bunch of teachers felt like champions yesterday. 

34  They worked for it. 

35   I don't know how things went on the Admin side. Bells were off, keys weren't working in locks, but those things, while seemingly disastrous to a relatively new administration, went pretty unnoticed by the veterans. 

36  So fun day, lot of music, smiles, and politeness. 

37   It is rarely sustainable for the first part of the year, but it was certainly a nice way to set the tone of enjoying lessons and learning.

38   And teaching. 

39   Looking forward to this morning. The table is set.

40  What a blast! No wonder I do this!

41   Gottago. Looking forward to diving back in.

42   See you again. 

43   Peace.

~H~