Only 181 Days To Go

My first day at South Pasadena Middle School went very well. There were few problems and, although my voice was more or less shot by lunchtime, I was able to make it through the day with flying colors.

As all of you may remember from your own experiences, the first day of school is rarely very exciting. Going from one teacher to the next, listening to all of them talk about their rules and their particular class.

Let me just tell you that it is not much better from the teacher's point of view. After going through my class rules and procedures so many times today, I was sick of hearing it by the time sixth period rolled around.

My throat still hurts from all the talking. I was pleased after talking to some veteran teachers who also mentioned that their voice was not holding up too well either.

The most stressful part of my day came midway through third period. As I was standing there conducting my lesson, the door opened and in walked the principal, the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, and the Superintendent himself. Administrator visits to one's classroom are always tense moments. But when your boss enters with two of her bosses, it's enough to make your heart stop.

Still, protocol dictates that you simply continue what you were doing, as if this is an every day occurrance. So, I continued with what I was doing. They observed me for approximately five minutes, I think, and then left. I was greatly pleased later in the day when my principal told me that I had done an excellent job while they were in there.

So, tomorrow is Friday. It is the end of what has been a very stressful week in both my professional and personal life.

In my previous post, I mentioned that somebody I knew lived in New Orleans and that I had been unable to get in touch with her since Sunday evening. I was rather vague on details about exactly who she is.

Her name is Kelsey. We were introduced to each other this summer by a mutual friend through a series of bizarre coincidences. (I know that is vague, but you'll just have to live with that explanation for now.) Anyway, it was clear that there was instant chemistry between us, but we were sort of taking a "wait-and-see" approach to things because of the fact that I live in California and she lives in Louisiana.

We stayed in close touch throughout the summer, e-mailing and talking on the phone on an almost daily basis. It was clear that there was something there and, had we lived closer, I would have already asked her to "go steady" or wear my class ring or whatever it is that the kids call it these days.

The distance complicated things somewhat, though. Stepping into a commitment with somebody who does not live close by takes a little more thought. Recently, we had made plans to get together sometime next month and see where it took us.

Then, things fell apart. On Sunday afternoon, I had been involved in a rapid fire e-mail exchange with her. The last I had heard from her, she was heading off to the store to buy a new toothbrush. We both knew that the hurricane was coming, but I don't think either of us really understood how bad it would be.

Monday morning, I awoke to what, at first, seemed like good news. The storm had turned slightly eastward, sparing New Orleans from the brunt of its power. As you are no doubt aware, however, the levee system gave way the next morning, leading the city to its current state of chaos and anarchy.

I was completely unable to get a hold of her, and felt sick about it all day Tuesday. Monday, I had been slightly worried, but I don't think I had yet reached the panic stages.

While I was worrying about her, not knowing if she was alive or dead, I had to force myself to focus on all the meetings and getting my classroom ready. Of course, I checked my e-mail and phone messages every chance I got to see if there was any word, but there never was.

On Wednesday morning, I was contacted by a friend of hers from Houston on MSN. She informed me that Kelsey was alive and well, but that she had lost everything. She also told me that the only thing Kelsey had really been clear about was how important it was for her to contact me.

I was finally able to breathe again, but still felt as if I needed to talk to her, which was not really possible. This morning, however, the power was restored to the home she is staying at in Baton Rouge, and she was able to contact me by MSN. We spoke for about an hour, before I had to go off and start my first day of school.

If you are the praying type, I would sincerely ask that you pray for Kelsey and all of her family. They have lost so much, and I know it will be a long road for everybody.

As far as Kelsey and I are concerned, we're not really certain where this is all going to lead. We both want there to be more to this, but we also realize that those things will probably have to wait.

This concludes what is probably the most personal blog post I have ever written.