School Days

So the morning started off about as great as last night ended. Got in the car to drive to work because I needed to be there early to do an event at a school. I pulled away from the curb and realized I had no brakes. Nada, nothing. Scared the shit out of me. So I did about 2 mph and pulled the car right back in the spot and ran for the bus. I had just enough time to grab my stuff at the office and get in a cab to head uptown.
I arrived at the school on time, thank God. I totally had that "I'm gonna be late for school" feeling all over again. It was so weird to be there. Even though it's the same as when I was a kid, it was so different. Of course everything seemed smaller, but just the atmosphere seemed different. So we went up to the library to set up and waited for the classes to come in. We were going to do a make your own book activity with them. One by one they came in (first graders), one cuter than the next. Today was dress-up as your favorite storybook character day which added to the cute factor. So as they came in, we started the activity with them. I never expected such young children to be so polite and so smart. Were we that smart when we were young? I don't even think I'm that smart now. They were excellent readers and excellent writers. One little boy wrote a story about how cheetahs are becoming extinct. I was impressed.
Most of them were outgoing, but there were a few shy ones. Halle in particular. It took a while for me to get her to open up and then she became my best friend. She told me her whole life story, mostly about her older sister and that her mom's name was Jaimie too. She was sweet as sugar. Then the bell rang and it was time to pack up the paper and crayons and head out. We had such a good time and I really think the kids did too. Now it's back to work...boring.