I know it's NOT my first year teaching at Valley because...

I showed up to our first staff meeting 30 seconds before it started looking like a sweaty mess. Two years ago I stressed out the night before this first meeting because I didn't know what to wear, who I would sit by, or what impression I would make on people. I could potentially be meeting my future husband so I had to look cute and not be awkward. This is not as easy as it sounds. I still remember being at a women's retreat with my college roommates and we were determined to make some new friends. Jenny said, "Guys, we have to try to be normal." Three potential new friends sat down. We got excited. Potential friend # 1 called a guy a "tool" and Lesley said, "What, like a hammer?" Then Jenny said, "I just looooove cherry pie" for no reason at all. If that didn't scare our potential new friends away, we must have lost them when we stopped the car and made Lesley get out in just her underwear and run across the highway to pet the horses. But I digress. My point is, it's not easy to force myself to be normal and not awkward. I hate trying to impress people and love that I don't have that pressure at school any more. This year I went for a morning run right before the meeting and didn't even leave myself enough time to try to cover the massive zit on my chin. The pictures below are of us trying to be normal. The first one is with the girls we attempted to befriend. Don't worry Lesley- I promise I won't post the other picture. Please notice that I am being much more normal than Jenny and Lesley. The second is with the president of Westmont. I can't remember exactly what awkward lines we said to him but know it was something along the lines of, "Gee Mr. Gaede, you're famous."

When I accidentally prank called the principal, I didn't freak out. My elbow hit a button and I looked down and noticed I was calling the principal's office. I quickly hung up and began brainstorming other ways I could purposely prank him. He still has no idea that it was me that stuffed his mailbox full of shredded paper last year.

When the principal said, "I'm sure you all had interesting summers," the single Bible teacher whispered to me, "yeah it was, I lost my virginity." She was totally kidding. If I had been drinking milk, it would have shot out of my nose. I love that I've established relationships and have such a fun group of people to work and laugh with.

I went home at lunch to make a sandwich and watch Seinfeld. I know you might be thinking that I should be hanging out with this fun group but one of the perks of having established friendships is that I don't have to hang out when I don't feel social. Plus, the "how was your summer" conversation is getting old already. I might start making stuff up.

I left a meeting just to walk around because I was bored. I plan on doing this much more often. It was so freeing- like discovering in college that you don't have to raise your hand and ask to use the restroom during class. I did not get as extreme as my cousin who went to the "bathroom" and was gone for 2 hours. She's been at Valley longer than me:)

I ate eight cookies at the break. Actually, if it was my first year, I still would have eaten eight cookies but I would have done it very covertly- going back several times, each time pretending to notice the goodies for the first time. By now, everyone knows that I eat a lot so I piled my napkin high with all sorts of goodness and had no shame stuffing my face.

I was able to be my immature self. I made ugly faces at people across the room and laughed at people when their stomach's growled awkwardly loud. I tapped people on shoulders and then moved to their other side. I love when I don't have to pretend to be more mature than I am. The following is a conversation I had this summer with a girl on my team concerning the freedom I now feel to be myself.

girl- "Coach, I'm really glad I don't have you as my teacher."

me- very offended, "WHAT? Why?"

girl- Well I could never take you seriously. I would be laughing at you all the time.

me- still aghast, "You had me when you were a freshman and didn't laugh at me all the time."

girl- "Yeah, but that was when you hated America and were annoyed by all us entitled Americans. Now I know just how weird you actually are."

me- "Touche."

I love that I am past that awful stage in my first year when I did rather despise living in America. My students clearly noticed a difference.

I love that I don't have to worry about making first impressions on the teachers and can be weird around them. However, I will be making first impressions on the incoming freshmen. I've toyed with the idea of dressing in a jean jumper and being a jerk on the first day just to mess with them. It's crazy how many assumptions and judgments they will be making based on how I speak to them about the syllabus.

They have no idea how weird their new English teacher is and I don't think they'll find out on day one. Don't worry- I do use a bit of a filter so although I might teach them how to do double chins, they have no idea just how strange I really am.

I hope that on our first day next week I will be able to communicate to my kids right away how much I care about them. I hope that they will not think I am annoyed by them (even if I am) and I hope they will feel loved when they are in room A1.