21- Labor Day

There was no school today. Hurray for Labor Day! I slept as late as I could- which turned out to be only 8:30. When your body is used to waking up at 5:30 each morning, 8:30 feels like you’re sleeping in.

I made a deliberate decision to not think about school today. I was going to relax and spend the day doing things that I enjoy, like catching up on Soap Operas and playing Solitaire on the computer. By 9am, I had learned a huge lesson: You will never, ever escape the roll of “school teacher.” Always be on guard.

I crawled out of bed, pulled on my old, dingy bathrobe and fuzzy bedroom slippers, and trekked outside to drag my garbage can to the curb. By the time I reached the end of my driveway, I knew I was in trouble. A short distance away, I could hear a child’s voice calling, “Teacher? Teacher!”

I could only wish I were dreaming.

I looked up to see one of my students playing in the yard right next-door to mine. Shit. Can your students be your neighbors? I never thought it could happen to me.

As it turns out, Mattie, a sweet little Mexican girl from my class, just moved into the house next to mine. I could tell she was thrilled to see me by the way she ran over to my yard and dragged me by the hand over to her house to meet her parents.

So there I was, on the morning of my first ever paid holiday, unbrushed teeth and knotted hair, shaking the hands of my student’s parents. “It’s so great to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Gomez!” I am happy to have met them, although I do wish they lived a little farther away. I can only hope they have enough sense to keep their daughter from knocking on my door everyday.