If you’re just going to remind me that I never finished that 2010 Rewind list that I was doing, don’t worry. I know all too well when I see that post just sitting there all bare bones in my drafts.

I know, y’all. I know.

Work has, like always, snapped me back to the reality that I leave my home every day to take care of 321 kids. They’re all mine, but I could claim far more than that.

A colleague and I were discussing our jobs not long ago and we agreed, like we often do, that it’s like being an island. You can’t have your former teacher friends as a confidante because there are delicate personnel issues. When there’s a half day inservice you no longer get invitations to lunch because you are, invariably, in meetings or your office. Administrators will sometimes allow students to have their cell phone numbers and a few of my teacher friends are all, “What? NO. WAY.“when I tell them that I do that, too.

In fairness, I have groups of teacher friends at every school where I have worked and many of them host get-togethers to which I get invited. One group does a yearly spa. Another group does a yearly Christmas cookie party exchange. Others just send text messages that only read “Margaritas tonight?”

Every person has their skill set and it’s pretty important as an educator to know where your strengths lie. Mine is in making connections with students and families as well as with staff members. (Unless, of course, you dislike me which makes you weird and you smell like onions anyway so I’m really not at a loss.) (Or cheese. Some people smell like cheese.) (Stale carpet, too.) There’s just something extremely satisfying about my job and this is coming from someone who can personally name the student that belongs to each gray hair.

ALL THREE OF THEM.

Over my Christmas break I spent time with a student who lost her sister a month before. Three of her friends and I went to the mall where we wanted to get her to feel surrounded and loved. We ate lunch at the food court and I recall thinking, Only something like this kind of situation could bring me to the food court or the mall.” After that, a friend’s 15 year old daughter sent me text asking me out to lunch on a Saturday and she brought another girl with her who happened to be a former student as well.

It came up in conversation with a friend of mine who asked why I give up my free time for my students. Free time, by the way, is defined as time when I’m not with my children because they’re at their dad’s house. At least, that’s the way she defined it. It could be spent reading literature that mocks me as it sits on my coffee table. It could be used up by viewing the first season of Archer that Mason keeps quoting to me. It could be wasted on trying out the six bottles of wine that came in the mail from California.

I like seeing how my students come alive when they are uninhibited by their academic lives and the norms of the school day. When they’re in their own habitat like the mall they tend to cut loose and for most of the day those girls forgot I was there. One of them let slip a wee little bad word because she got pretty comfortable with me being around. (It’s okay. I gave her the raised eyebrow. It’s a really good eyebrow.)

That’s what I’ve spent my time doing instead of being wrapped up in social media and blogging and remembering to answer my emails.

It really is the best job in the world.

I’ve also been dressing up my dog in hooded sweaters with pom pons on top. That’s not really a job. It’s more like a gift.