Delights: August 11 to August 17

August 11: Last night, while Nate and I brainstormed ways to address the teacher shortage, the principal of our local elementary school called with the offer of a lifetime: would I accept a long-term substitute teaching gig as a fourth grade teacher? Starting Monday?

This would be MY class, with my personality, my posters, my rituals, and my Back to School Night. The fourth grade team was already drafting my curriculum. And last year I’d subbed a lot in third grade, so I’d know some of the students.

Our family routine would be upended and my retirement idyll would cease. I was scared — and euphoric. Kevin, Nate and Jeremiah cheered me on. 

I snapped awake at 2 am with ideas for Morning Meetings and rainy day recess. I buzzed around town planning classroom decorations. I got a refund for my week-long silent retreat.

And I got a call from the principal: lucky us! We just hired two fourth grade teachers to fill the vacancies. They start on Monday. Thank you for being there, just in case.

I smashed into the rocks, after (so briefly) navigating the currents of possibility.

Then I wiggled my toes in my own gentle pool: I would continue to substitute three days a week in the jobs (and on the days) of my choosing. I would spread my chores over days, not hours. And beaches, museums and matinees would trump report cards.

That all sounds very good. Very good. Very good. (Repeat until you believe it.)

August 12: Even the sun doesn’t scorch (too much) when you’re sitting three rows behind the dugout at Nationals Park. Season ticket holders like me got in early today to watch batting practice and an interview with the Nats’ new star closer, Kyle Finnegan.

We cheered every answer: Finnegan’s favorite baseball movie (Bull Durham — yay!) and his best baseball memory (his “immaculate inning” against the mighty Atlanta team). And, oh yes, any Nats walk-off.

Nine innings later, on the heels of Finnegan’s dominant pitching in the top of the ninth, the Nats won the game — on a walk-off home run. Hey, Kyle, let’s conjure more magic again soon!

August 13: Because I now know that Mondays will be exactly like Sundays (i.e., plenty of time for chores), I spent the entire afternoon reading. Ah, bliss. This indeed is very good. Very good.

August 14: On my way to the beach, my GPS guided me through a charming (albeit slow) detour through West Annapolis in Maryland. A hundred cars and I passed cafés, boutiques and complicated four-way stops. At last the street rose gently to a river crossing. As we turtled up the bridge, I gazed downstream and audibly gasped. Below me were dozens of perfect white sails, with each triangle wind-stretched and taut above tiny watercraft, all pointing the same way. 

I struggled to find the perfect simile for what I saw: ice crystals on windows? Parade confetti? Coconut flakes on an Easter cake?

Then I realized that the splendid cluster of sails was the simile, for the next time I see such beauty.

August 14 (again): Well, after all that traffic, I stopped at my favorite Cambridge brewery for a burger and a beer. As I got back in the car for the last hour’s drive, I got a phone call from the elementary school principal: the teacher arrangement fell through. We need you. Tomorrow.

I wheeled my car west, got stuck in traffic again, and astonished my family by walking in the door six hours after I’d left. Happily, I’m listening to an audio version of Liane Moriarty’s “Nine Perfect Strangers.” So, I basically spent my last day of retirement (!!) drinking beer and reading. Pretty good.

August 15: I keep thinking of this week as Spring Training: I have to get up at 6:15 a.m., pick out clothes to wear (that don’t involve Nationals tee shirts), pack my lunch — and learn how to be a teacher. Low stakes this week, but “Opening Day” is on Monday, when I meet my Fourth Grade class. 

Today’s Convocation for all teachers and staff included professional development classes about cultivating creative problem-solving, critical thinking and risk-taking. (Nailed it!) And, oh yeah, a class about fourth grade math. (Um, what is a T-chart and when in the world would I use it?) 

I definitely know my “times tables.” Now I need to spend the next five days learning everything else. 

Bonus: Our high school has welcomed its first Artist in Residence, who we all knew and loved from his decades as an elementary and high school art teacher. At today’s Convocation, we admired his first commissioned piece, which is composed of ceramic seeds, pods and spores crafted by each student in the high school. The work evokes “The Great Scarf of Birds,” as John Updike said, that starlings create as they swoop and swirl across the sky: a murmuration, or a “liquid” whole composed of unique but integrated parts.

Maybe I saw a murmuration of sailboats. Or maybe I’ll let each beautiful thing be itself.

Bonus: Catching up with my blogging friend Thistles and Kiwis, we discussed treacle. Click here to see a can of treacle (with an old timey label). But equally important, my New Zealand friend recounted this: “Half a pound of tuppenny rice, half a pound of treacle, that’s the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel.” 

This is how I learned it: “Round and round the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey said it was all in fun. Pop goes the weasel!” What is your version?

August 16: During a community-building exercise for elementary school staff (who include me!), a teacher showed me photos of two sweet knitted bears that she’s made for families in Kenya. Over the past 10 years, the teacher has sent 153 bears through the Mother Bear Project to children affected by HIV/AIDS in emerging nations. 

Our community-building exercise invited us to select and share with another person three photos that captured something important to us. I’ve witnessed the generosity, dedication and resourcefulness of this teacher during my two years as a substitute teacher. Now I feel I know her in an even more meaningful way.

August 17: How long does it take to remove hundreds of staples from three classroom walls? A very long time — and a very tall ladder and a little bit of recklessness too. How many Washington Nationals bobbleheads and posters can one classroom fit? Oh, plenty. And no staples required.

Bonus: Our “Meet the Teacher” open house is on Friday August 18, and the first day of school is on Monday August 21. In between, I’ll probably spend many (unpaid) hours preparing. Dear friends, please wish me luck. 

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If you’d like to browse my past delights, please consult the “word cloud” featured at the very bottom of this post. Find a theme or two that interests you and sift through the sands. Or learn a bit more about my Blog by visiting my Welcome page. You’ll also see links to four essays that were published in print magazines. I’m glad you’re here!