Happy New Semester!

I was hanging out with my little spitfire diabetic today, and she was bragging about her new flatscreen TV she got for her room for Christmas (she's eight):

Me: "What?! You have a TV in your room? I don't even have a TV in my whole house!"
Diabetic: "Huh? How do you watch TV?"

Oh, how I missed these kids! They make me laugh. As was apparent, I had a pretty terrible first semester of the 2011-12 school year, and I'm determined to make this one better - starting with things like this, remembering how funny and fun the kids can be. I had three weeks off to reflect on how challenging my first year was in this job, yet well before it was over, I was looking forward to Monday mornings just as much as most people look forward to Friday evenings. I need to get back in that groove, because it made all the difference in the world. I need to not let certain aspects spoil it - parents, politics, etc., because what everything is really about is the kids. If I'm not having fun with them, they're not having fun with me. And no matter how frustrating other personnel aspects of this position may be, the kids are still kids, and...well, they can be pretty awesome.

Also, Lice Daughter is back! And clean! She skipped all the way down to my office, and high-fived me on her way out. For a timid little girl, being back at school is what she really needs. I'll be crossing my fingers that she stays clean, because dealing with the wrath of Lice Mom again may put a damper on my efforts to have a better second semester.