First day back

September 7 was my first day back as a volunteer at the Frankie Lemmon School. It was a great day—even though I had “first day of school” jitters. They are always so—jittery! But it gave me a good adrenaline rush, I have to admit. I got to meet all the new kids in my class—mostly four-year-olds—and maybe even a couple of new “best friends” for the year. But I’d worked with the super staff and terrific teachers all last year and they welcomed me with open arms. They’d had their first day last week. Even with multiple college degrees, lots of preparation, and the drive to succeed, first-day jitters are tough to get through for staff and teachers, whether they are experienced or brand new. But I can tell you one thing for sure: these “special needs” children—as well as the three- and five-year olds in the other two classes—are very fortunate indeed to have such a loving and energetic support team. They all want to to share their love and passion for teaching with the kids of Frankie Lemmon.

And today was Miss Paula’s first day back as well. With her traveling Yamaha keyboard and her big bag of musical fun—tambourines, sticks, bells, drums, shakers, and something called a cabasa—we were soon making a “joyful noise” and singing “Shake a friend’s hand and say hello.” Our jitters became smiles!

We also read Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe. We sang “Five Green Speckled Frogs” and painted stuff with little round Crayola "Beginnings." I had lots of fun, but what do I know?—I’m just a big kid who comes to play on Tuesdays.