Fall is Just Something That Grown Ups Invented

What's up, readers.

So today was a stressful, anxiety-ridden day of emotion:  the First Day of School.  As a teacher, I hate the first day of a new school year with a passion:  you have to nail everything down perfectly on the first day in order to avoid pit traps later in the school year (first impressions, procedures and routines, etc.)  It's a lot of pressure, and before the day even starts I'm already looking forward to Day Two (from that point on it's fine.)

Anyway, the day went fine, just as it always does, but I tend to suffer a disproportionate amount of stress and anxiety over the first day of school.  The girls, on the other hand, were both super excited to be back in a classroom with their friends.  Sadly, neither of them ended up being in the same class as their BFFs, but both had other friends in there so it was fine.  Abby was a little apprehensive about starting second grade, but she got over it quickly.  Alayna was shot out of cannon and pumped the second she woke up, which was expected since she's been a social butterfly since moving up here.

I've included some shots here of my classroom, set up for the influx of a new batch of 8th graders, and some shots Kris took from the girls' first day back to the Grind, for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy.

My classroom, from the view of my desk.

Other front corner, from the view of the Flag.

Underneath the Flag, an oil painting of Native Americans I pinched from Granny Hough's house.  I'm sure she'd approve.

My in-class library, for student use.

Student supplies, and a very dapper wolf print I purchased online (my house sigil is a wolf, and it serves as our mascot.)

Sadly, neither Bernie Sanders or Kodos ended up winning the 2016 election. . .

My command center.

Mr. Hough's desk.

This computer's hooked up to my Promethean Smartboard.

All ready to roll for the First Day of School

. . . and the other one.

Obligatory picture-in-front-of-the-School shot.

Putting away her backpack in her new classroom.

Sort of nervous to be in a new class, but she eventually grew to enjoy it.

A much-needed nightcap.

- Brian

Abigail at the Petting Zoo

Man, if it's one thing that will try a man's soul, it's an elementary school field trip.

I rarely jump for joy when I get 'volunteered' for one of these, but, being a parent and everything I'm sort of obligated to follow through.  Part of the whole 'Dad' thing, I guess.  Kris gets way more into than I ever do, but she's a mom, so maybe that's not all that hard to believe.  They're wired all screwy.

I've chaperoned a few of Alayna's school trips in the past (one most recently in April, if you'll recall), but this time around I'd be helping out Abby's kindergarten class on a half-day outing to a local petting zoo farm in Freeland.  I took the day off for this fiasco, which, all in all, wasn't too horrifying, but did - without a doubt - reinforce my previous belief that I had made the absolute right choice pursuing a career in middle school education instead of elementary education.

Those teachers have their hands full.

Check it out. . .

The class boards the field trip bus.  I didn't realize it, but Abby would later tell me that this would be her very first ride on a school bus, which I didn't get to experience first hand because the school had the adult chaperones drive separately to the petting zoo farm.  Why?  Who knows.

This was a PM field trip, so upon arrival the first thing the teachers did was feed the kids lunch. Abby's a big fan of lunch.

I was a little too slow to pull out my phone for this pic.  There were a few other kids with their heads in there prior to me finally taking a picture, but, by then, well. . . .

I don't care if this is where milk comes from, this is just gross.

(In case you were curious as to what the inside of a cow looks like, here you go.)

Mrs. Vandenboom's kindergarten class.

I'm assuming they usually look more like this.

On the farm, getting ready for the big tour. . .

Mustering of troops

The first stop on the tour was a barn where they had a bunch of unwilling animals standing around, waiting to be man-handled (child-handled?) by a bunch of five- and six-year-olds.

Time for a lecture on animal care and whatever else.

Abby's friend/beau, Jackson, was one of two students out of the entire kindergarten to get to feed a baby cow from some plastic bottle.

(Clearly, Abby was excited about this.)

After the feeding, they split the kindergarten in two, with half of the kids staying behind in the barn to take turns holding various barnyard animals while the other - us, as it were - got to board a giant trailer for a 'hayride.'

This kind of thing is always funny.  Whether you're five or thirty-five.

After our lackluster hay ride, we returned to the barn and the two kindergarten groups switched places, with our regiment of midgets now getting to grope and feel an assortment of unwilling barn animals.. .

Sweet Christ, I hate goats.

The only animal I hate more than goats is cats.  Also known as God's mistake.

(It's a baby bird.  I couldn't tell you what kind.)

That sheep looks pissed.

After some heavy petting, the kids were instructed to line up on the far side of large field, and were each given cups of animal feed (you know, the crap that looks like dog food but smells much, much worse.)  Across the way, behind a fence and locked gates, were several paddocks full of sheep and goats.  Across the empty field, the livestock and children stared at each other.  In my life I have never experienced such tension.

Chaos.

After awhile, Abby ran out of animal feed, so she decided to start feeding the animals grass instead.  I would have made fun of her for this, but, believe it or not, the animals kept eating it.  Whatever.

Some more involuntary petting.

Why was this here?  These are the questions I don't ask at petting zoos farms.

BFFs.  Or at least until she forgot all about it.

Get on da bus!

- Brian