Worker's Comp

I work with some terrific people.  Funny, committed (the good kind of committed), hard-working and generally kind to teens (not always an easy task), these folks make the school what it is.  That's right. It's not about the content so much as it is about the relationships.  And that holds true for the adults, as well as the kids.

Especially fun are all the new folks on staff.  Now, I admit that, when I first heard that East High would have nearly 25 new adults in its halls this fall, I was a bit wary.  Realizing I'm in the last chapter of my life as a teacher, the idea of all those youngsters swooping in made me feel, well, a little dusty.  I started to envision myself as that old couple on the block, the last holdouts of another generation, the ones that were keeping the neighborhood from being cool again.

But then I got to know these folks and, even if everything I feared about myself is true, the newbies have flexed their altruistic muscles just enough to make me feel welcomed and nearly relevant!

Because I haven't held a job in another profession for so long, I'm making a leap here, but I wonder if the pressure-cooker feel of a school lets people get to know each other a bit quicker.  Like speed dating, new and old teachers quickly figure each other out, skipping many of the formalities and hoops of a traditionally-timed friendship.

And I'm all for it, frankly.

Since meeting these new folks four months ago, I'm delighted to say that one has opened my bathroom stall, mid-stream, causing near-fatal fits of laughter; another has stolen my team's Scrabble Scramble trophy;  several have found their way to the staff lounge for laughter and leftovers.  Why, just yesterday, one of the newcomers brought a lovely, delicious pumpkin cheesecake on a gingersnap crust--and shared it!  And last week, another newbie--possibly tricked into it by the library staff--made us biryani for lunch.  

We have shared beers, swapped stories, made fun of each other.  Why, we've even managed to collaborate, that most adult thing a staff of teaching professionals can do with each other!

It's possible that, in the afterglow of five days away from work, I'm feeling extra generous in my praise of my workmates.  A little distance does wonders, after all.  But, really, when you come down to it, even on the worst days--maybe especially on the worst days--I wouldn't trade this bunch for anyone.  They are always better than a poke in the eye.

And I haven't even talked about the work friends I've had for several years.  Oh, my.  The stories I could tell!