She's In Trouble NowSidetracked Sisters

Thank God I’m a grown-ass woman AND no longer a teacher. Do you know what that means? No. more. recess! I don’t get in trouble (or get others in trouble) anymore.

I’ve always hated recess. I’ve written before about spending a snowy recess with Mary and Mr. Fry in the boiler room here. But that isn’t the only time I purposely skipped out on recess…

I was in First Grade. My First-grade classroom was on the lower level of the building, closest to the boiler room, Mrs. Goetz was my teacher. We had been working on something when the announcement was made that it was almost recess time. But only students that were done with their work would be allowed to go out. I was done with my work, but Sean and Rochelle would need to stay in.

The class went outside and I lagged behind. I don’t remember what exactly happened next, but my next memory is that we were tossing a football around the classroom. Indoor recess at its best. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a classmate peek in at us through the window closest to the playground. The bodyless head quickly disappeared and I knew that she was on the way to tattle.

I did what any guilty kid would do.

I ran out of the classroom, up the stairs, through the hallway to the far end of the school, out the front doors, and around the opposite side of the building to the far side of the playground. Once there, I quickly found an empty swing and began swinging as if my life depended on it.

The final memory of this event is of the teacher stalking toward me across the grass with a sea of students following. I imagine a stern-faced older woman. But I know that this was probably one of my teacher’s first years teaching.

I don’t know what happened next. No clue about any repercussions.

Chances are, this is an example of why kids AREN’T allowed to be in classrooms unsupervised.

With my distaste for recess, I think I’ve blocked many memories. But there was another event that occurred during recess at school when I was about the same age…

When the weather was bad outside, the custodians would set up the lunch tables in the hallways and our principal would host dodgeball in the gym when you were done eating.

I finished eating and went to the gym. On the way, I saw a student being reprimanded by a random teacher for…something (maybe they didn’t want to participate in dodgeball). When the teacher turned her back to leave, the kid stuck out her tongue and gave the bird to the teacher’s back. My ironic thought was, “Wow, that took a lot of guts to swear at the teacher’s back–not. If I ever swear, it should only be for something REALLY important and when I am SUPER SUPER angry.

When that day finally came and I used a swear (probably g*d d*mn) my friend Julie was not impressed and only mocked me by saying in a sing-song voice, “OoooOOoooo, Lisa must be reallllly angry!”

Fortunately, I no longer am forced to engage in monitored physical activity during regularly scheduled periods of the day. I get to choose my daily exercise, inside or outside. Trouble is not something I currently worry about. Also, I get to swear if and when I want–

I’m a grown-ass woman!