Randomville Acts of GREATNESS

I have to say, this school year is shaping up to be quite awesome. I know that, by saying it out loud (so to speak), I have just jinxed myself and it's all going downhill from here.

Still.

During my first year at RHS, I didn't have a class with fewer than 25 students. Last year, I had classes of freshmen numbering in the THIRTIES. This year, because of this whole new deal where we all have to give up half our planning periods, most teachers have smaller classes than normal. My smallest class? Four. Let me say it again. FOUR.

I know I wanted smaller numbers, but that is ridiculous.

Yesterday morning, one of the assistant principals came into my room, unexpectedly. And even though this is my seventh year teaching, and I was totally at a kid's desk helping him with his work while the rest of my babies worked diligently at their own desks, I still got that little knot in my stomach that means, "Uh oh."

But it was good news.

"Ms. Flower," Mrs. A said. "We're going to take your class of four and disperse those students to other reading classes."

"O ... kay," I said. Now I got really nervous, because I was afraid she was going to tell me I had to teach an English class. And even though I love English, I do NOT love teaching to a test. And also that would mean I'd have four preps. FOUR PREPS. People, I barely get any sleep as it is. If I had to plan for another class (on less school-sponsored planning time, I might add), I might just go crackers. More so, I mean.

"How do you feel about directed study?" she asked. Now, at RHS, directed study is a fancy way of saying STUDY HALL. There is no teaching involved, just making sure people are sleeping or smoking crack for ninety minutes. So basically what she was saying was, "Ms. Flower, how would you like another planning period?"

"I think I could do that," I said, very calmly, though on the inside I was totting up my total number of planning minutes and mentally packing up my gradebook and file folders for the move to the cafeteria.

She came back later and told me there were 18 kids enrolled in directed study, but that several had already been assigned as student assistants. I can totally keep twelve kids from smoking crack! Well ... for ninety minutes.

So let me just state clearly what this really means for me: Not only do, as the reading program coordinator, have a full ninety minute planning period (one one day) plus a half (on the other), but now I ALSO have a full ninety minutes directed study/planning period.

THAT IS MORE THAN 200 MINUTES.

Right now, it is SO GOOD to be me.

That will, of course, change. Probably tomorrow.