Happy Hot Friday

90º is what the temperature gauge on my car dashboard glowed at me when I started the trek homeward this afternoon. Even opening windows as soon as I arrived and turning on fans in the classrooms didn't help much today. The humidity made the sunny day even more oppressive, both in and out of the school building. As one student put it, why couldn't we have had this weather back in July when we could have enjoyed it?

On the other hand I suspect we'll be wishing for some of this heat during the cold months ahead. We nearly filled our oil tank and will have it topped off when our next paycheck arrives. Because we do have a wood stove and a good supply of wood, and we've learned to wear layers when we're at home, and our house faces south with some large windows and skylights, we'll be better off than many who aren't as fortunate in their ability to heat their houses or keep themselves warm.

As this second week of school ends, I'm making some discoveries about some of my students: one of the goofiest sophomores is also the most thoughtful and articulate; another of my sophomores misspelled her name on her vocabulary quiz; yet another sophomore who began the year with me and was withdrawn from school two days ago will be rejoining us...something about her father getting out of jail; one of my senior creative writing students is poised to "come out" to the class about her sexual orientation; two boys in my low level sophomore class come from home lives where it's fine to call people names or harass them if they follow a different religion or dress differently than they do; the girl with the blue hair provides kind and wonderfully constructive feedback to her peers when they read their writing; one senior boy aspires to be a writer of poems that he'll be proud to show his grandfather who is a poet; one of the best, most observant students in my British Lit class is the daughter of a former student who was so lazy he wouldn't move to get out of his own way; three of my sophomores share the same probation officer; and a senior girl is on the brink of an acting/modeling career as soon as she has her diploma in hand. Diverse and interesting bunch, eh?

Tomorrow night I'll be attending my 40th high school graduation reunion down in Massachusetts. I felt foolish asking for directions to a house where I spent hours making prom decorations, but after all it HAS been 41 years since those gatherings. These folks are the ones I've seen every ten years, intended to keep in touch with, and then ... life gets busy. I'll bring my husband because he's accompanied me to most of the previous ones, and he knows a few people. It's likely that the ones who, in high school, hung out together in their little cliques will still sit in corners and talk among themselves, and the rest of us relative nobodies will enjoy the evening. I opted not to stay overnight at a hotel or go to the brunch the next morning: short and sweet is best, I think. Besides, I have another reunion to attend in about a month, and that one should be much more emotional for me. I haven't seen those classmates since 1966 when my family moved 35 miles away, so I wonder how many I'll recognize. Seeing some of their faces (of the ones who dare to post current photos there) on Classmates.com has been reassuring and amusing. A few of the boys I had wicked crushes on ... well, I'm not sure I'd have recognized them today if I met them on the street. I suspect that the women will be easier to identify, but I'd better be bringing my yearbook with me just in case!

This was a true four-day school week, not 3.5 as last week was. I felt lighter at two separate times today: once when that challenging 4th period class was over, and once when the last students left my classroom at the end of the day. Liberation! This glass of wine tastes extra good this afternoon. Cheers!