Today was my first day of school. How’s that for not burying the lede? School is starting slowly. Today was orientation. That meant I didn’t have much to do, I just learned my way around and met my colleagues, especially my co-teacher. This is a new experience for me. For now, at least I’m not going to use names, or even name my school. It’s in Williamsburg, an area I know pretty well, north of the Lorimer station. To me that means Pete’s Candy Store. I walked by it on the way home just to check out just how close it was. The answer is very. Sadly, I realized that doesn’t mean it will be convenient to go to shows there. They will start a minimum of four hours after school ends. The only time that might not be a big deal is if I have grading to do. The best bet would be if friends were playing there, and we met before the show for dinner and hanging out.
How did I day go? I felt like a freak, I was wearing the wrong clothes. I just know that all the other kids hate me. Nah., I liked my colleagues. I liked the few students I met. One came in with a dog, a chihuahua-yorkie mix. It looked like a long haired chihuahua with giant ears. He was very friendly and enjoyed the attention from me and my colleague. He’s a service dog and was even in uniform. That’s why he was able to come to school. Part of me wants him to come every day. The problem is partly that the students would get distracted. It’s more than I would be distracted. He’s a cute dog that likes attention; awfully hard for me to resist.
There was an assembly where all the teachers introduced themselves. They cheered me. They cheered everyone. There is a lot of school spirit. That says a lot about the other teachers that the students actually know. So, what fun things did I learn about the other teachers? One is a dancer. One English teacher was a comic book editor! She assigns Persepolis to her class. One chemistry teacher rummaged through a storage closet used by a previous school looking for things she could use. I wish I knew some kids I could have given the Lego and magnet kits too. What else? They have coffee but it’s k-cup. I might start bringing a thermos from home. As long as it’s hot I can bring my cold brew. I don’t know what I’ll be doing for lunch. Today I woke up early and made breakfast before I left. Can I do that every day? I used to but I had a much shorter commute then. I figured out my grocery shopping. I can stop at either the Union Square or Downtown Brooklyn Trader Joe’s.
That’s it for now. Just a short update so you know I’m alive. For the immediately future expect my posts to come in the evenings. Back in days long past I would blog early in the morning before my early class but no way I’ll be getting up early enough to do that on a regular basis with the longer commute.
Wise Madness 