Random

We started a new school year yesterday.  All the kids are in new grades and I'm desperately trying to remember not to insult them by forgetting it.  I would just like to note a few things about this school year:

1.  On the first day of school, while I was on recess duty, a student found a 4-inch dead baby snake frozen in striking pose.

2.  I hate dead bodies of any type, including snakes, but somehow, I found myself funneling kids into a line while holding this dead baby snake above their heads until order reigned so they could hold it one at a time.

3. It was kind of an out-of-Kate experience.  I'm not really sure what came over me. 

4. I made two boys cry today at different times.  Well, they made themselves cry.  I just disciplined them.

5.  A new student in Class 1 from the community decided to smile handsomely, shake my hand and ask very nicely how I was doing right in the middle of me negotiating which Class 2 student had to clean their lunch table and how to get Class 3 in a straight, quiet line.  I could have hugged him.

6.  We received funding to purchase a nice, electric piano (not to be confused with an electric keyboard) and it was delivered yesterday to my music room.  Wow.

7.  I played the new piano for a long time last night after I put the stand together. I starting using it for music class today.  All of the kids were really impressed until they learned it could only make 10 different sounds, not hundreds like the old keyboard.

8.  I am going to start teaching a few students piano in the afternoons.  Next question, how do I select a few students out of 97?

9.  Totally unrelated: Did you know the bark of the Papaya tree makes hearts in the wood?  I didn't either until this weekend.