Happy New Year!

I like my job. As jobs go it's a good one. I get to "play" with 75 or so 10- and 11-year-olds all day long for 9 months of the year. We usually have a good time - we laugh, we learn (me, too!), we notice the weird things in the world and marvel at how stupid adults (called grown ups in my world) can be. AND we get some awesome breaks from each other - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring, and then about 9 weeks in the summer so we don't get to tired of being together. Those breaks give us all a chance to spend time with our families (one of my favorite parts).

One down side of my job is I have to work with a few grown ups . There is generally 1 or 2 grown ups to go with each of the kids, and sometimes as many as 4 (or more). Some of these adults don't seem to remember what it was like to be 10. They are often not much fun. They expect us to take life way to seriously. They want us to conform to a bunch of tests, sit in desks and stare at pieces of paper and try to remember all that is on those pieces of paper.

As I start my new year (because in my world New Year's Day is in August). I'm making a few resolutions:

1. I'm NOT going to let grown ups impede our fun. I'll just invite them in to see how much we accomplish while having fun.
2. I'm going to make someone (hopefully a grown up) laugh EVERY day.
3. I'm going to stay organized. (I make this one every year, but I have yet to succeed.)

Hopefully the other weird grown ups who get to "play" with my own kids for the next nine months are feeling the same, and they'll work to make the year filled with fun and laughter (and some learning, too). And if you want to be in a place where it's okay to talk about farts, poop, dog slobber, vomit and snot; where giggling is okay - even expected - at what, to other people, seems inappropriate times; where stupid jokes are still laughed at and always one-upped...just come see us. We'll let you join in as long as you don't tell us to grow up.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!