Not Really At Work--But Showing Up Anyway

Twice this week, I've been to a school event, even though I'm officially on long-term leave. We have some really terrific traditions at this school that are so fine that I didn't want to miss it. One is the Family Picnic. We usually hold it the week before Spring Break, or maybe it coincides with Reading Week, I don't really know...hmmm. Anyway, we divide our three lunch periods into two sections so that the grades 1 & 2 and the A.M. and P.M. Kindergartens have the first time. Then grades 3, 4, & 5 use the second section.

Families are invited to bring over whoever they want (grandma, grandpa, babies, aunts, uncles) and eat lunch with their students on our grass playground. We teachers join them, too, bringing out a blanket, so that if students don't have someone join them, then they'll at least have us to sit with them and enjoy a (usually) sunny day outdoors. If students always eat the school lunch, they just stop by the cafeteria and pick up a sack lunch provided for this day, and bring it up to the playground.

We get a huge turnout for this. Some families bring over fast food, or stop off for carry-out pizza. One of our families has many cousins who attend our school (one of the mothers is a teacher, too)and the grandparents come, with whichever of their children can get away from work, and all their grandchildren join them. The kids are in all the grade-levels, so the grandparents stay for both lunches. I guess they've been coming to the Family Picnic for about eight years, and I know there are some preschoolers who'll be joining them in years to come. It's such a great time.

So, CoolGuy drove me over so I'd be there when the fourth grade came out. He put up my lawn chair, and spread out my blanket. I'd told my co-workers that I'd come so that they could at least have the opportunity to go to the restroom during lunch that day. The lunch period is 45 minutes on this day, and the teachers are only asked to stay with their students for 15 minutes. (because it is in our contract that we get a 30 minute lunch--so the principal can't actually require any more time.) But I told them that I'd be there, so they could have someone to be there, if they needed to leave after the 15 minutes.

When I said I wanted to attend the Family Picnic, CoolGuy had a long meeting scheduled that day on the computer/phone, so I'd made a plan for a friend to drop me off, and then he would be free to pick me up at the end. But, the meeting ended early and so he was free. I'd only pack myself a lunch, so he drove over and picked up a sandwich and drink and came back to join us, at my invitation. I think he was a little surprised when I invited him. I said that he'd be a huge hit, if he actually showed up, because all my students had heard of him and were always agitating for him to come to school. And they were excited to meet him. He had a great time. And he again shook his head in wonderment that I can do that, all day, every day. He means the "on" business--teachers have to be "on" all the time.

If you're a teacher, you know this. Kids drifted by and some stayed, and every 22 seconds there was a new question or comment or request or dilemma to solve. Parents and grandparents would stop by to chat or be introduced by their student. Everyone was excited to see me, so I got a lot of greetings. But, it was pretty normal for school. He doesn't think he has the mental energy for the day-after-day effort that takes. Maybe not...but he was a fine picnic guest.

Then, Thursday night the fourth grade had scheduled a fund-raiser at McDonald's. We have an upcoming field trip and we need bus money. It was wildly successful. We made three times what we needed, so we'll probably share with some other grade level. But again, I went, and manned the raffle ticket table. The manager urged us to have a raffle with prizes that we invented (he gave us two $10 gift cards, too--nice guy) and so we gave out prizes like Lunch with your Teacher, 30 Minutes of Computer Play Time, School Snack Store Gift Certificates. Anyway, at one dollar per ticket, we made out!! I was busy all night, selling tickets, calling out the winners, chatting everyone up who came by to support us. We were there from 5 to 8 P.M. Yes, it was a lot of work, but it was easy work---just laughing and talking to kids and their parents. Between the two events I got completely exhausted, and napped the rest of each day.

This isn't really what my doctor meant, I'm guessing, when he said to take it easy and convalesce. But it's Spring Break now, so I'll just be relaxing at home.