I feel reflective on this last Spring Break day after the rain has stopped, the house thoroughly cleaned, a little gardening and a lot of reading and resting... what I realized this quiet quiet week is the best part of "returning to the classroom" is the laughter. I loved staying home to write, but there just isn't very much laughter in solitude. Not like there is at school. Kids laugh a lot more than do adults. Sure, there's chaos and drama and tears (and not just from the kids, either) but there is so much laughter in the classroom.
Of course, I've read the Laughing Buddha research and have learned it to be true. Laughing more often throughout the day is just a much more pleasant existence for my nature. Quiet contemplation every day is just too much for me. Instead, I found that teaching feeds my writing spirit more than solitude. And perhaps also because my other activities are solitary... making art, reading, cooking, gardening and sigh, even cleaning... it's better for my overall mental health to be in the classroom every day.
I also have become more reclusive from a social aspect the past few years. More so than ever before in my life. I tend to be reclusive and shy away from big social occasions because even though I seem to have a very extroverted (and I hope, charming) nature, I suffer from social anxiety. In the classroom, though, the discussions are directed. The fun is found in context of the work. There doesn't have to be a forced witty banter. Laughter comes more naturally in the classroom. I mean, we're talking about reading and writing while we're reading and writing. It's a great gig if you can get it, really.
So, although I will not rejoice in setting an alarm for five-thirty Monday morning, I will smile knowing that I'm heading back into a school full of laughter.
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