Anticipation

In just a few minutes I will be leaving to begin my first day teaching summer school. At our staff meeting a week ago it was made clear to us what our objective was for the first day - keep every child alive and accounted for until we send them home again. Why do I get the strange feeling that the first day of summer school is somehow more chaotic and stressful and frenzied than the first day of school? We were told to expect nothing less than total chaos. I teach preschool - we are experts in total chaos. We drag chaos along with us like a ratty but much loved blanket. We can do chaos. We were also told that there would be one fire drill this summer...apparently she did not read any of the information on my eighteen precious little ones because, well, we have trouble resisting that shiny red box on the wall with the neat red handle that says "Pull Down". I foresee more than one fire drill and I foresee it being courtesy of my class. You know, just to keep everyone on their toes. :) Because we are all about safety like that. Just like I am all about leaving our little smellies wrapped up in bags out in the hall because when in a room without a window there is not going to be anywhere to run or hide from the diapers even after we change them. Think anyone would mind? ;) And I am most definitely gently placing a name tag on the back of each child as they arrive because we are terribly outnumbered and I need to know which child is climbing Mount Junk in the back of the room and which one is running half naked down the hall. For some reason they respond better when you use the correct name - go figure! If nothing else, today is going to be a day I will never forget!