100 days to go

Happy March! Tonight is the 100 Days Dinner, an event at which senior students and their teachers enjoy an evening of togetherness over country-club food. But that's not all. Because I'm a newbie, I had no idea of the entertainment. Not only are all attendants required to come in costume, but each teacher is lauded by several students with original speeches about his or her fine qualities. This year's theme is Disney, and if I told you how much of my week I spent researching characters and their attributes for students and faculty, you'd be amazed. But do credit my professionalism: you want information, and I provide it, whatever it is.

The best term I can use to describe what I feel for the students . . . is pity. That's right, pity. Why? Because that's an impossible task. For those of you who have known your teachers since seventh grade, how do you encapsulate all you might feel for them in a minute or two? And in my case, nine of you have only had me as a teacher since January - how could you actually fill a minute or two? Furthermore, it's a tribute, not a roast, so you can't be funny, and report cards come out on the 26th, so you can't be honest either! You don't want to be sappy, because that's embarrassing and your fellows are watching. You don't want to be lame, because, well, that's lame.

So yeah, I pity you, you poor dears. On the other hand, I feel lucky as heck because I get to dress up in blue velvet pantaloons and eat some lovely chicken dinner while at least two or three of you tell me how great I am, and then of course I get to blog about it the next day. See you at 6:30!