Bus Duty - Lunch Duty

Oh ya. You know you're back in school when you are assigned Bus Duty and Lunch Duty. I have to confess. I love these duties. Crazy? Perhaps. Maybe it's because when I first began teaching in Cincinnati Public, we weren't responsible for these duties. Of course, my students didn't have yellow buses. They rode the Metro Buses to and from school and because our school was so big, we staggered the students coming and going. Also, we had our own security team (and metal detectors). That was "back in the day". So, when I first came to Kentucky, I was confused about these duties. What I learned is that they are the best times to actually chat with your kids.

Especially the end-of-the-day Bus Duty. Kids are HAPPY, not worn out like the teachers and therefore, it's rather inspiring. At this school, the teacher with whom I was assigned for Bus Duty tells jokes. Every day, the kids ask for his joke and he was always prepared. Then, they would attempt to tell their own. Now, some of these kids are fourth graders and hilarious in their mangled joke telling. We would smile at their long, twisted, confused jokes and laugh at the end... just for the sake of getting to the end. Other kids couldn't wait to pitch their ideas for stories, practice their pirouettes, or just play games on the phones they were able to take out of their pockets for the first time all school day. I forgot how little they actually are until I saw one little boy rolling around on the hallway floor and a little girl sitting with her legs apart in a skirt. Little kids. Funny kids. Completely unaware of social mores.

This school's cafeteria is inordinately quiet and well-behaved. I'm used to a bit of rambunctiousness at lunch time. Nope. Not at this school. Oh! And there are specified "allergy peanut" tables. I laughed to see one kid use his chicken nugget as a character to make it talk. I looked again and realized the nuggets are in shapes of letters. Easy to make a C a talking character. Other kids wander around aimlessly, trying to find their place in the universe even though the tables are assigned. Some kids have elaborate lunches carefully prepared by conscientious mommies replete with orange flowers. But, every day, someone inevitably has a story to tell me or a round of "Happy Birthday" is sung. The teachers' response? They clap along.

Of course, since this is the Creative and Performing Arts School, I do keep waiting for a kid to bust out a music device and for all of the kids to jump up on tables and start dancing. Ha. Gotta love my generation. FAME! I'm gonna live forever....

Hanging with these kids certainly makes an old teacher feel that way.