I thought about my students a lot this weekend. Even though the past two days were jammed packed with a Mary Kay open house, Emily's sorority party, teaching Sunday school, and going to parties, etc., I often discovered them creeping into my mind: remember us? You are our new teacher! We love you!

Do I love them? Do I actually like teaching high school?

Sure enough, as I drove twenty minutes to work this morning still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, anticipation filled my stomach and warmed my heart as I thought about teaching another day. How blessed am I! A job! And I like it!

Those feelings were gone by 7th hour however. Little monsters. How dare they tease me into thinking I enjoyed this? My back hurts, my mind is fried and I can't get my forehead to relax out of its permanant frown.

Oh well. A job's a job and I do the best I can with what I've got. From the hideous talking urchins to the quiet scholars I must do what I can to preserve what little control I have over this educational environment. I will teach poetry! I will encourage open-mindedness! I will lecture on the first dramatic production broadcast by General Electric! And I will not laugh when I'm being the disciplinarian and they crack clever jokes. And I will not let them get under my skin. And I will not become attached to even the most likable of the bunch.

I will do my job and leave come January. And hopefully the charming and challenging children will leave my mind forever.

Don't get too attached and don't get too discouraged. This too shall pass.

January.