Day 5

The lunch room really felt like a Friday today. I sat in the teachers' lounge in the midst of four or five different conversations crisscrossing across the table. Instead of the usual banter about "kids these days" there was more focus on laughing, either about students, ourselves, or the latest episode of the Office.

It was someone's birthday, and this year with so much cross-teaming, we've taken to celebrating as a grade instead of within our secluded teams. While I'm really not a huge fan of breaking apart my cozy group of core teachers--I'm a big believer in a team model for the sake of the kids and our own sanity--we've had some great opportunities to break out of our comfort zones and learn a little bit more about each other. I know for a fact that it's brought teachers closer together on a department level, and if nothing else, our dessert options have vastly improved.

The teachers' lounge? Sometimes the energy just isn't right. Maybe it's middle of the winter snow-fatigue, middle of the week doldrums, or middle of the day dread of a longer afternoon ahead. Whatever it is, I'm usually content to eat my lunch with the company of one or two or sometimes none. But today, I was glad to be a part of this happy group. We were relaxed enough to remember to check up on each other or to dig up some glory from years past. The mood was right to enjoy our common ground. Some of these friends were my heroes since my first days on the job. For a couple of others, I helped them move into their classrooms. All of us have shared ideas, moments of success, challenges and concerns. And apparently today was a perfect day to simply share cake.