A Teacher From the Git-Go

When I was a very little girl one of my favorite things to do was go dumpster diving. But, I didn't want to just dive into any old dumpster. Nope. It had to be our school dumpsters. Every year, after classes had been dismissed for the final time, the teachers would clean out their classrooms, their desks, their bookshelves and their closets. And that's when my fun would begin.

I'd wait until they were done with their spring cleaning then I'd climb into each school dumpster and oh the joy! Math books no longer needed. Crayons that smelled like colorful winter days when the playground was too cold to enjoy. Half empty bottles of glue. Wide lined paper we'd used to practice writing Aa Aa Aa Bb Bb... beautiful, shiny little scissors still alive, ready and willing to be put to work. Reading books full of wonderful stories...

I'd lug as many of those school supplies as I could carry home to our basement and put them on a little table we had set up down there. Then I'd go round up my friends and ask them if they wanted to play. Since it was summer time, and hot, we'd naturally gravitate to the coolest places we could find-quite often our basement was the place. I'd be so excited to have my friends over. So excited that they wanted to play! We'd sit there and talk, trying to decide what to do.

"Let's play school!" I'd enthusiastically suggest.

Is it any wonder we'd end up back outside in the heat? They were such a boring lot of kids. What was wrong with them? Why oh why didn't they want to do more math or practice their handwriting? Why didn't they want to read outloud to the rest of us?

I think that's what clinched my decision to be a momma. If I had babies of my own, they'd have to stay in the cool, quiet basement and do school if I said so.