I am worn out! It was a long day at work. Grueling! Exhausting! Fun! Yes, I love my job. I get to play all day! Well, most of the day. Sometimes I have to clean up snot or blood, and there are a LOT of shoes that I tie every day….but it’s a lot of fun. Working with kids….its where I belong! Well, at least until I make it as a writer and I an stay home and take long bubble baths all day and eat chocolate covered strawberries….

Today it seemed like I was moving the entire day. It was a beautifully dreary, somewhat drizzly, cloudy, rainy day. The kind of day where you wear your jacket and you’re almost hot or you take it off and you’re almost frozen. A perfect day to have inside recess.

When the school year started and it was 175 degrees outside at noon, we would keep the kids inside at lunch and they would play peacefully in our ‘cafasneezium.'(run like crazy hyenas on crack in the cafeteria)  Ah, the good old days before the kids really got comfortable (ornery) and there were a lot less of them. (25 less?)  Back then, a few soft balls, 10 hackey sacks, a jumprope and two hula hoops were all we needed. That just doesn’t work anymore. When we tried to have inside recess last week, I was seriously afraid we would be staining the floor with blood. The kids loved it but we came away from the day with stretch marks on our faces from trying not to full on panic. (No blood was spilt in this post)

When the weather turned wet today, we (principal) decided the kids would just go to their rooms after they ate their lunch. It was tricky because the kids have a half hour total….they eat and then stagger outside as they finish. The classes overlap a bit so…it was just awkward. Regardless of the weirdness, it worked out okay. At one point, I had three full kindergarten classes in ONE classroom, with only one other adult type person to help me. The kids were a bit noisy, but they were great!

First grade was a different story…they didn’t know what to do with themselves….in their classroom without actual work to do? What’s up with that? I had to take charge and do it quick. I turned to what any highly skilled, trained, resourceful mother of six would. No, not duct tape…..although….. No, I got out paper and taught them all how to make paper airplanes. Now, in retrospect, the actual application of the airplane module might be questionable, but to me and the forty first graders, it was brilliant. I was a bit amazed at how hare it is for 5-6 year olds to make straight folds in paper. Quiet challenging for the ol fine motor skills. Regardless, we had a full fleet of planes before our lunch hour recess ended.

As I prepared to leave the aviators, I wondered what the dear teacher would think of the flying machines we had created. As one teacher came into her room and saw what we were up to, she said, “we aren’t supposed to have this much fun at school!….” She said it smilingly so, I think I’m okay.

I went back to her classroom later that day and lo and behold…she had let the students not only fly their creations, but also decorate them all. Way to go Mrs. 1st grade teacher! I like a teacher that can roll with it and have a bit of fun. I wanna be like her when I grow up….if I ever do….cause I said so.

Photo credit: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=images+of+paper+airplanes&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&tbo=d&rls=en&biw=1366&bih=577&tbm=isch&tbnid=eukTDfFQNzKuhM:&imgrefurl=http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/mfa-confidential-blog/kate-monahan-2009-2010/paper-airplanes-sending-notes-out-into-the-literary-world&docid=iPijqoOTTeTkJM&imgurl=http://www.writersdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/paper-airplane.jpg&w=3068&h=2272&ei=QhkCUdquCbHZigKL54DoBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=4&vpy=163&dur=225&hovh=193&hovw=261&tx=108&ty=92&sig=113066672481944259300&page=2&tbnh=139&tbnw=196&start=21&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:29,s:0,i:177