L stands for Listen!

November is the month where we reflect on what we have to be thankful for.

I am thankful that I no longer have to do recess duty.

I've been thinking a lot about my job lately, the pros and the cons. There have been many frustrations involved with going back to work and being the new kid on the block again, but I revel in the fact that I will never have to do recess duty again. (Never say never, I know).

My memories of recess duty involve spending the longest 15 minutes of my life out on a playground trying to keep in order in a sea of complete chaos. It's okay to be in a classroom with those monkeys, that was my job, but then to be released into the wild with them was almost too much for me.

I would approach recess duty well armed. I had my clipboard complete with warning slips, my snack (string cheese, yogurt, and a piece of chocolate from the stash I kept hidden in my desk), and if I could find it in time, my whistle.

The best place to be for recess duty was the upper playground. There were less children and thus, less cause for anxiety. You still had the one child who followed you around and talked to you constantly like you were her best friend. There was also the child who would come and report to you the goings on in the farthest reaches of the playground just in case I wasn't looking.

I avoided that child because usually that meant that I would have to be responsible and trek myself (in my nice shoes) to the farthest reaches of the playground to tell those kids to knock off whatever it was they were doing.

My favorite recess story of all time happened early on in my teaching career. Two kids were arm wrestling on the playground. Arm wrestling is not allowed because it carries with it the possibility of a lawsuit. Looking back, I should have just let them continue arm wrestling and ignored the fact that other children were starting to take bets on who would win. Instead, I walked over and told these two boys to please stop arm wrestling and to go play basketball or something.

They looked at me like I was the meanest teacher that had ever lived, but they stopped. Long enough for me to turn my back and walk away. Then they were at it again.

As soon as I discovered what was up, I walked over again and told them, look boys, I know this is fun and all, but you really need to find something better to do at recess or I'm going to have to give you one of these here citation slips.

The boys split apart for all of two minutes that time.

When they went at it again, I stomped over to them, yanked the pen off my clipboard and started filling out citations. They had the nerve to ask me why they were getting a citation. I said, "because you have very short memories. I asked you twice to stop and you didn't."

Well, one of them grumbled about how unfair it all was. I don't know what overcame me, but the next thing I knew I was saying, "Maybe next time you boys will pay attention," and I had used my fingers to make that "L" sign on my forehead. You know the one.

One boy looked at another and said, "Did she just say you were a loser?"

I instantly had visions of parent phone calls in my head. The kind where I would have to justify my actions in front of the Principal and some hotshot from the District office. I had to back pedal. Fast.

"No! 'L' stands for 'Listen'!" And I smiled sweetly and walked away.