Friday, October 2, 2009

Tailgating.

I am officially spoiled and officially smitten. Today was our school's tailgate for teachers, which was held right before the Emmaus-Northampton game.

The camaraderie in the school overwhelms me. Maybe this is the protocol in most schools, and maybe my old school just didn't "get it." Or they once "got it," but they don't any more. But we received t-shirt to wear today to school, and for the first time, I didn't have to pay for a shirt that promoted school pride.

And we were treated to dinner at the tailgate, along with a raffle and entrance to the game.

OK, it may sound hokey and really not all that impressive to a lot of people. But to me, it's the little things that really add up. The environment that surrounds this school is unlike anything I felt in the prior nine years. Granted, there were moments. But this is an overall mood that we are part of a team, part of something larger. And that we all belong. Yup, there are cliques that exist. And that's fine. You'll have those no matter where you go.

But in the end, everyone seems to come together and celebrate. When we got home, I asked Mark what he thought about my little school community, which really isn't that little, but still, compared to corporate. He simply said: "I absolutely love it."

Yeah, me, too. When I leave every Friday afternoon, and I check off another week in, I say a few words of thanks for this opportunity, this gift to work in the community in which I choose to be a part and raise my family.

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