Friday, August 12, 2011

Just Ask Anyone

First Day of School
First Day of School
Laura went to her first day of fifth grade today and came home full of her usual vim. I met her at the bus stop, and when we got into the house I said, "Okay, tell me everything that happened. You got on the bus, and then what?" Later, when we were having supper, Matt said to her, "Okay, so tell me everything that happened today. Start with getting on the bus. Who did you sit with?" We were a willing audience for her reportage and she was a very willing narrator.

The thing that's rocking her world the most is that one of her teachers is a real, live man. This is a first. The fifth graders switch classrooms for different subjects, and she has a dude for her Math teacher and she is already crazy about him. Thus begins her life of having crushes on male teachers and professors, as certain other people have done before her. Until she gets to grad school, and then suddenly it's the female professors who are more crushable. That's a whole 'nother story, what was I talking about?

So Laura applied today to be a peer tutor and be matched with a Kindergarten kid. She brought home her application, on which she had written her qualifications:
I believe I would be a good peer tutor because I love kids, I have been around the school a long time, and I do not get exasperated easily. I am very patient and I get good grades. I also have great behavior. Just ask anyone!
The "just ask anyone" absolutely slew me. "I mean, don't take my word for it! Just ask anyone. Literally anyone." Her complete and joyous confidence is heartening and even inspirational to me. I imagine there will be world enough and time for it to be tempered with a little modesty.

Have some of you guys started back to school? I know in civilized places there are weeks more of summer vacation. Such a weird time of year, I feel pulled in two directions.

Gotta go back downstairs and help mud the drywall. Oh yes. You'll be hearing about it. xoxox

13 comments:

Elizabeth said...

We still have until after Labor Day -- it's wild that you are all in school already. I'm not quite ready! My thirteen year old son told me today that his classroom aide from last year is engaged. He's sort of bummed. I just raise my eyebrows as she's about twenty-three and gorgeous and it could freak me out that he has crushes on these young women --

Michele R said...

That is a great paragraph that Laura wrote!
My 5th grader, who started back on Mon, is a boy buy luckily for me he will talk my ear off about school details. the older two speak in grunts and 4-word sentences.
Hubs is one of those male 5th grade teachers--the students are scared to have him for a teacher but then end up loving all his personal stories.

My Kids' Mom said...

My fifth grader (yes, he started the 8th) "I'd be perfect if I wasn't so modest." He gets it from his dad....

Jenni said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jenni said...

Those are excellent qualifications. Also, I love her shoes.

Can I tell you, I had the BIGGEST crush on my Intro Philosophy professor my freshman year of college? He had a limp and I thought that was the sexiest thing. I even took TWO upper level philosophy classes (with all those pompous philosophy major jerks) just so I could have him again. Having a crush on your teacher does make you work harder, though, so Laura is assured to be a wiz at math.

Common Household Mom said...

That is the first time I have ever seen "mud" used as a verb. It is kind of making me cringe.

We don't start school for another 2 weeks, but that is still before Labor Day, so we are not civilized either.

You are fortunate to have a child who TELLS you what happened during her day. I either get "My day was fine. Can I have the car?" or "Nothing" or "I forget." And my philosophy is that "who did you sit with" is the most important question of all.

The {G} Family said...

She's awesome! lol

My boy started 5th grade this year, too. No switching classes, but it is Middle School. We LOVE male teachers - they always seem to work miracles with my kids. Hope she has a great year!

Allison said...

Absolutely mud is a verb. Where I used to work, surplus became a verb. I actually thought it was a verb since I heard it used that way so frequently, until I tried to find the proper way of spelling it past tense. At that point I gave in to the dark side of verbing nouns and adjectives.
Looking forward to hearing about the sheet rocking.

effie said...

I can't get over the fact that the girls are permitted to wear open toed shoes. Out here in So Cal you cannot have your toes exposed. LOVE the confidence and yes it is inspirational.

Cassie said...

I want Laura to start a blog.

Amy said...

She's so lovely. Yes I'm biased, but still. Love her self-image! Literally anyone in the world will agree. I'd have her mentor my kindergartener in a second.

I still remember my first male teacher...it's a funny thing, isn't it?

missynall said...

My son had Mr. T when he was at BCE. AMAZING year. He is a man of honor. So happy that Laura will get a year with him!!!

Aimee said...

Really?? FIFTH grade? She looks like she's headed off to seventh, at least.

3 more weeks of summer vacay here. I have mixed feelings.