Today was my last official day of summer break. Tomorrow starts three days of professional development and next week the students arrive, ready to take on a new year.
To that end, I put absolutely nothing on my to-do list for today. Of course I fed the birds and worked on the crossword. And I did replenish the chickens’ water, but I didn’t do laundry, I didn’t weed any flower beds, I didn’t change the mower blades. I just, quite simply, didn’t do anything important.
And as part of doing nothing, I sat outside for quite a while this afternoon with my flock of hens and watched them as they enjoyed being out of their run. I got the usual treatment from Izabelle – she always has a lot to say to me. Della came to say hello but it was very clear she was done with her role of “Mama Hen” as she had no contact whatsoever with the three somewhat little ones she hatched just a couple months ago. Instead, Gabby seemed to fill in as guardian, keeping close to the littles and being the one they ran to when they got scared.
Eventually, a few went back into the run (without my beloved Iris, getting them back inside was quite a chore today), and it was then that I got quite a shock. The little ones went inside and settled in for a little nap and lo and behold, Millie got right up next to them in a very motherly way. I was shocked. Millie? Queen Millie? Millie, my hen from my first set who made it well known that she was the top of the pecking order? Millie? The one who used to mercilessly pick on Ruby? Millie? The very same Millie who would go out of her way to peck another hen on the head just because? I shook my head in complete disbelief.
Later, when I went out to make sure they had all made their way back into the coop so I could shut them in for the night, I caught Millie on the roosting bar with Agnes, new little hen Agnes, under Millie’s wing and Margot and Edith Ann on her other side. “You’re getting soft in your old age,” I told her as I shut the door behind me to let them rest for the night.
On Tuesday night I will meet most of my incoming fourth graders. Open House is my favorite day (night) of the year and gets me really excited for our upcoming months together. Last week, I received an email with information about the incoming students – just general notes about who needs extra time, who is a bit squirmy, who starts off really shy but opens up later – those kinds of notes, but I didn’t read it. While there are some things I think are important to know about a child right upfront (allergies, for example, or a health condition) I like to start the year with a fresh slate for the student and an open, untainted mind from their teacher. Maybe this year, Juan won’t start off so shy, or maybe Sophie won’t need a fidget but Sam will. My family has often told of the “miraculous positive transformation” that I underwent between middle and high school, who’s to say what these kids will be like once they enter the doors of Room 16?
In the same podcast that I wrote about last week, Dr. Ablon quoted his grandfather as saying, “If you give a dog a name, he will eventually respond to it.” Millie most definitely isn’t the bully hen anymore, and I’m glad she taught me that today. It’s a great reminder to give my new students the chance to show me who they are right now, this year, and not as they were as third graders.
I never would have dreamt that Millie would turn out to be “Queen Mom.” I can’t wait to see who my new students are this year!
Teaching at 3am 