Love the One You're With...

Whatever, stupid cheesy 70s song I think. Actually, that's probably the wrong decade. Who knows. Anyway, I'm suddenly a little verklempt about losing my students as the school year peters out (slowly and tediously).

Maybe it's because I can't imagine having to build up my tolerance for a whole other group of hormonal teenagers. I kid, I kid. No, it must be because I'm not sure there's room in my heart to love a whole other group of hormonal teenagers. I kid, I kid.

I honestly think it's a little of both. Maybe a little dread at having to go through the awkward stage. Me: Are they really this immature/goofy/smart/happy/annoying/rude? (choose one). Them: Is she really this sarcastic/excited about history/mean/nice? (choose all). Once you're on the other side of this stage (and it varies with each student but in my experience, the dominoes all tend to fall at about the same time), it's glorious. Gone are the moments of sheer terror when I think a student might report me for telling them to sit their skinny butt down. We now bask in the glorious glow of comfort and familiarity.

Several little things have to happen on the road to conviviality but certainly my habit of spitting wantonly expedited the process. For some reason, I really think that my spitting when I talk endeared me to the students. I think they saw it as making me more like them: "Ewww...she does gross things. On accident. I do too! I can dig it...Can you dig it?" Or some variation of that...When I was in middle school, I (falsely) told my friends that made fun of me for spitting that I had extra saliva glands. They bought it. I lived with this lie for a long time. But, lies don't make teachers...especially good ones. :)

Then there's the whole problem of loving more of them. Will they accept my spitting? Will they tolerate my sarcasm and give it back to me in spades? Will they trust that I have their best interests in mind when I assign...homework? Probably not for awhile. I'll have to love them in spite of it. And I will. They'll be a 2009-2010 version of the kid that always smirks at just the right time. They'll be another version of the one that always says "Bless You" when I sneeze, one that always says "Yes!!!!" when I say, "You know, like that time on Family Guy..." and the one that always says "No, we were only in 2nd grade!" when I ask them to recollect details about 9/11.

In the meantime, I gotta love the ones I'm with. Shouldn't be too difficult, now that I finally have it down pat. Took me long enough. There are 7 days of school left...