Well, maybe to 50 in one day... 100 will arrive with the students on the 31st!
After spending three weeks on Cape Cod with my 82 year old father, I'm back in the saddle here at The Nora School preparing for the new school year. Even after doing this for 18 years, I'm amazed at the amount of work that's needed to prepare the building, the faculty, and the families for the upcoming term.
Living life at the pace of an 82-year-old retiree on the Cape certainly is relaxing! Reading, an occasional trip to the beach or the golf course, having all afternoon to prepare dinner... life could hardly be more placid. Returning to school, needing to hire new teachers to manage our over enrollment, going to board meetings of other institutions, having the new bus painted and lettered, getting new lawn furniture, removing the rubble of summer cleanup, preparing for faculty in-service, and planning the creation of a new school community when students arrive, all takes a huge effort, and offers a stark contrast to reading Michael Connolly on the beach!
Perhaps this intensity is now compressed due to my desire to spend time free time with my father and give my sisters a break. Not having spent much time during the winter, spring, and summer breaks to manage the detritus of school life (such as digging out my office) means that when I
am here the amount that needs to be done is fairly daunting.
Nonetheless, the world is an amazing place, full of surprises, and in a few days we'll again have the privilege of sharing all these wonders with young people. While my office will probably always be a bit of a mess, my hope is that it goes along with my curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and sharing.
Dad and his cousin Caroline at the Boston Pops concert in Hyannis.
After a summer of painting and cleaning, and three full days of meetings, we're ready for the school year to finally begin! The place is just too quiet and empty without adolescent energy... remind me I said that come November!
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