Dear Friends,
This morning I will meet some of my new students and their parents/guardians at “Meet the Teacher” day. It’s a pretty exciting time in the life of a teacher. Nothing but possibility and hope and dreams.
Luckily, this is not my first rodeo. A lot of the students will know me a little bit from last year and the impression I got from them last year in the hallways and on the playground was a good one. I’m sure there will be a few quirks here and there, of course, and I will be tested for the first few weeks, but it’s all part of the game.
Yesterday was a nice day. I had a relaxing morning and then went down to Club Placebo to work on our documentary. The interview subject was Mr. Greg Hynes. Greg was a member of two bands that were on Placebo, The Teds and Mighty Sphincter, and also one of the founding partners in the label. We had a really good chat and I learned more and more about the old days of Phoenix punk and underground music.
After the taping, I headed over to the J’s house and spent some needed time with our little tribe. Of course, we all missed Rhondi a lot, but it was nice to get into the pool for a bit and have a wonderful dinner. It was really nice to see Q-man and I realized that I’ve really missed him over the past 10 days.
After the two-hour window is up for the parents, I have prep to do for the week, but it should be an easy-ish day. We are even doing a big lunch thing for the staff, too. Every day I feel more and more like a part of the team.
Even last May, after being there for six months, I still often felt like the new guy. Schools can be pretty tightknit communities and it’s hard to break into the gang, in a way. It’s just a theory, but I think it is even harder for a male. There aren’t too many of us on staff. There are only five male teachers on campus and three of us teach the same grade. The other two dudes teach music and PE, respectively. I have to think that if I were a female, my transition into being one of the gang would have been faster.
I’m not complaining, though. I like the people I work with but I’m not sure I have a ton in common with any of them outside of school. I don’t think they know what to think of me, half the time, and that’s okay, too. They don’t even know the half of it.
*****
I’ll get back to The Bet soon. I have some thoughts about where I want it to go next, but it does seem to have a mind of its own. I enjoy getting lost in a story and I think I’m not alone in that among writers, although I’m guessing very few share first draft, unedited stuff online.
*****
I wrote a song yesterday, or at least a shell of one, that I like a lot. It might be the first new Hillbilly song in a while. I’m excited to see what Liam can come up with, too, as a counter melody. I think it will be a good challenge for him and I.
*****
See you tomorrow.
Look at him go.
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