First Day of School

So today was the first day of school for the kids and me.  I have to say that I am thinking very positively about the coming school year.  For those of you that don't know, I "retired" from teaching a couple of years before we moved down south. I wanted to stay in the education field, but only work part time.  So I got a job as an aide in a kindergarten autism classroom.  It has been an amazing experience.  None of my college classes or professional development prepared me for this job.  I never, in ten years of teaching, came across autistic children.  I learned more about behavior management in that first year than in all 10 years of my teaching.  Anyway, wow, that was the long way around to this story, sorry about that.  Anyway, last year was the toughest year I have ever had, it was the kind of year that makes you sit back and wonder if you even want to come back to work again.  It was emotionally taxing and physically demanding.  On top of that, we were hit, kicked, bitten, scratched, you name it, it was done.  So, to say that I am positive about the coming year is a big deal.  I love the staff in the room, the teacher is amazing, and the kids, oh the kids seem so sweet... and calm, and quiet! (There was lots of screaming last year, forgot to mention that.  The kind of screams that happen right next to your head and you feel your ear drum vibrating, yeah, those are not much fun.) Anyway, I had a great first day of school...YAY for me!
So talking about first days, I was talking to a friend of mine tonight about our kids sharing with us about their school days.  She has two sons and she was explaining to me that it only took about 15 minutes to hear about the first day of school from her oldest son.  I had to laugh, because as a mother of a boy and a girl I get to see both sides.  What follows is a conversation with my son as I picked him up today from school:
     Me:  Hey Buddy! How was your first day?
     Son: Fine.
     Me:  Do you like your teachers?
     Son: They're OK.
     Me:  Do you have friends in your classes?
     Son: Yeah.
OK, I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture, it is like pulling teeth!  I'm the one doing all the talking!  And, I still don't know anything about his day!  Now, when I compare that to my conversation with my daughter?  Well, I came away from the hour long conversation knowing who she has in her classes, a few anecdotal stories of things that happened in some of her classes, which teachers she really likes, what extra items she is going to need for some of her classes, and just an overall feeling of her day. Funny, us girls, well we have something to say and we want someone to listen!
On a side note, I managed to cook dinner in the crock pot for tonight.  Another cheer for me!  It was good and it even made it nice for Will to eat something healthy before football practice and then (in Lord of the Rings fashion) he got to have a hot "second dinner."