A Glorious Day in Manhattan

After all this training, reading, and workshops, I finally sat down and began to really plan for my first year of teaching. I took my laptop and my notes to Rohr's, bought a small cup of coffee, and dove in. After about an hours of reviewing the ESL standards and language assessments, an older woman introduced herself and asked if she could sit down beside me. She immediately asked if I would like half of a sandwich that she had just bought and simply couldn't finish herself. I accepted, gratefully, and Helen began to share a bit about herself with me. Helen is almost eighty-five years old and was born on 22nd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. She has a daughter and son-in-law who live in Scottsdale and several delightful grandchildren. We conversed for more than thirty minutes and when she left me to continue my work she mentioned to another customer that she had just made a "beautiful friend." Helen came back about an hour later while I was still working and smiled at me once again, this time insisting on buying me another small cup of coffee. What a delight!
Later in the afternoon I made my way across town to meet with several other new and returning teachers of MS 328. This short meeting at a delightful bar/cafe was extremely informative. All of these teachers were very realistic and still extremely positive. I am really looking forward to working with all of them. I also made a stop at the Bank Street Bookstore, a mecca of children's books and educational literature.
Now I'm back at home, still working on planning, and, for all those have asked, preparing a brief online tour of my apartment. Check out the pictures I just posted and you'll get a pretty good idea of what my new place feels like. I really do like it here and enjoy having Katie as a roommate. As I said, a glorious day!