First Days of School

Principal Delight

[ Student notes left on my desk this morning ]

For the past two days of classes, the first two of the semester, I have stood out at the top of the road to greet students each morning and to wave goodbye to them each evening. At 8:15 in the morning, I see them climbing the hill from the town center where their parents park the car and help them cross the road at the crosswalk on the main street. They arrive with their backpacks and indoor shoes, and today with their swim bags. While I am waiting I take in the view of mountains and rolling clouds that surround the village. Here is a glimpse of my view. 

[The school entrance ]

[Looking left to Mt. Yotei at the end of the street ]

[ Looking right to the new learning annex ]

The first day of classes were a confluence of students greeting their friends, settling into new classrooms, and getting to know a few new teachers, myself included. On the first day, I saw all of the students in the school for art class and having never taught students in the primary grades, I was a little concerned about what might go down in my classroom. 

[ Keeping panic at bay with markers and music ]

I kept it simple the first day and we practiced drawing different types of lines in a musical chairs kind of format where students had a dance party at regular intervals between drawing their lines. We definitely had a good time. 

[Kindergarten was on it ]

Today I escorted the preschool and k-2 grades to the swimming pool with a host of teachers, all of whom got into the pool with the students. We left from school at around 10:00 in the morning and walked through the town to the community swimming pool. This was quite a palaver I can tell you. Swim bags, flotation pool noodles, swim caps, and floppy hats galore paraded down the street, across the road, through the park, and up the street to the pool. 

[ Assembling for the walk across town ]

[ Heading down the hill ]

[Through the park ]

[ Up the street ]

Finally we arrived and the students got themselves changed and poolside without too much trouble, even the littles. I am fully impressed by the fortitude of the faculty to make this maneuver across town and then to get into the pool and provide swim lessons to the students! The students were thrilled to get into the water as we were very hot and sweaty by the time we arrived. 

[ Some calisthenics before entering the pool ]

The PE teacher repeated this entire journey in the afternoon with the older students. Norah was recruited earlier in the week to assist and she ended up in the pool coaching the "experienced" swimmers through some floating exercises and relay races!

[ My first day of school photo, for my friend Polly ]

I am sure there are challenges ahead, but for now, I am filled with principal delight. This is fun!

[ My spot in the shoe cupboard ]