Entirely too long

     Hello, computer universe! It has been entirely too long since I have posted anything to my little secret corner of the web. So much has happened since July, I wouldn't have the time or patience to repeat it all. Therefore, I will divulge the Spark notes version: I quit my job at a bank, and embarked on a great adventure as a third grade teacher!
     I am still newish at my job, so I still have people asking if I like it, and I just laugh usually in my simply Suzanne way, and say, "Oh yes, some days I like it, some days I hate it." Hate is a strong word, perhaps the word irritate is better, however since I am the epitome of melodramatics hate is the word I mentally choose when asked.
     I have the wonderful privilege, and yes, teaching is a privilege, of teaching twenty-three rambunctious, silly and oh-so-tender third graders. Their dreams are as big as the sky, and their bladders are as small as acorns. They kill me. Not literally, thank goodness, but in the humorous way.
     Each day is an adventure. I've gone through already about one-hundred Band-Aids and it's only been the first quarter. I hear "Teacher, I'm bleeding." about five times a day, and luckily I've only had one puking instance, which didn't really produce any puke. Anytime a fly is in the classroom, I must kill it if I wish to get any knowledge across, and I never knew a handheld pencil sharpener could give someone so much entertainment.
     There is nothing better than the thirty minutes of lunch you get each day to take off your shoes, lock the doors, close your eyes and drift into your sanctuary of alone time. Who am I kidding? Most of the time, I spend any break or lunch getting my papers ready for the next subject, picking up trash, running to the bathroom to pee faster than a racehorse, standing at the copier, organizing bookshelves and getting the projector ready. I usually have about five minutes to stuff my salad in my face, and suck down a Capri Sun, all the while grading papers and emailing parents. My record book has grease marks where I've dripped and sipped my lunch off its pages.
     The prize of the day is the beginning and end. They are always happy to arrive, and always happy to leave. Hugs in the morning and hugs at night, and this is what makes teaching so rewarding and addicting. I could get a hug from those kids every morning and every night, and I still would wake up waiting for the next time that I hear them say in an excited voice, "Good Morning, Mrs. Deardorff!"