New Kid on the Block

After working for 7 years at Roosevelt Elementary, I decided to move schools. I worried if people would like me, if I would have any friends and would there be wacky individuals to help me jazz up my blog stories? Well, I discovered that I really have nothing to worry about. I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn people like me. Oh, and there are plenty of wacky folks to keep the stories coming.

So, I thought I would share my first full-fledged encounter with the new faculty at my new school. I will change the names to protect the wacky. On Wednesday, we had a faculty meeting at 9:30 a.m. Now, prior to this meeting I heard jokes about how long it would be, what crazy things would be discussed, etc., but didn't fully believe them. I was in for a real treat. A treat that lasted until 12:15.

The meeting started out normal enough. We were given a file folder of papers that showed our agenda, etc. I glanced at the one page agenda and thought, "Piece of cake!" Then I turned to the ABC's of Bennion. It was a 6 page document that had more information than you ever wanted to know about anything. I moaned internally. We started the meeting by standing up and introducing ourselves, told our teaching assignment, how long we have taught, and what we did over the summer; all 33 of us. That alone took 1 hour! Some individuals were short and sweet, and some told us about what their neighbors did over the summer too. Two people stood out during this experience. The first one we will call Ricco (age 49), stood up and told us about his summer:

R: Well, a few years back I went to a Dionne Warwick concert and in the middle of the concert, she stopped and told us that we should go to Brazil if we ever got the chance. Well, I tucked that away in the back of my mind and then one day during parent teacher conferences I met with a mom of one of my students and she was HOT! So anyway, I found out later that she was from Brazil, so I figured I should probably check this place out. So, I went there this summer and found my own HOT lady. Things are going surprisingly well. Oh and I also have been reading cards, so if anyone wants their fortune told, let me know. Except I won't do it for free.

The next one that stood out was a lady we'll call Candy (age 70). She proceeded to tell us that she learned the healing art of essential oils over the summer, so she spent the summer vacation massaging all of her family members. Weird and wild stuff.

Our meeting was a two and a half hour roller coaster complete with monologues from Camelot by the principal and a step by step walk through of the ABC's of Bennion. I love my new school though. They are a wonderful group of people, and I already feel part of the family. The staff really goes all out to make sure the kids have a great school experience. I think I am going to have a great year.