Reasons to be a Teacher

1a. It gives Dad an excuse to give me a shirt that says, "Three Reasons to be a Teacher: JUNE, JULY, and AUGUST." This is exactly the kind of gift I was hoping for when Dad came back from his trip to GREECE.

1b. JUNE, JULY, and AUGUST.

1c. A trip to North Carolina to spend the whole summer with my brother, sister-in-law, and cute-times-3 nephews!

1d. Emails from said sister-in-law that say, "Scott and I have been laying out the calendar for your visit. We are planning some really fun little trips. DC, Philadelphia, NY, CT, Charleston, Asheville.... we will be busy! I also bought season passes to the amusement park Carowinds in Charlotte so we can take the boys." And Aunt Mackenzie. Guys, I've never had a season's pass to anything!! Can I just say how fabulous it is that, now that I am graduated and a full-time, salaried employee, I suddenly get to relive my childhood? We're gonna go to the water park. The pool. Weekend excursions. We're gonna ride bikes. Have water fights. Make forts out of blankets and chairs. Play Chutes n' Ladders. Eat popsicles upon popsicles. And everything else that's cool, summery, and can possibly be done with a 5 year-old, a 3 year-old, and a 7 month-old baby...

I refuse to concede that I'm perhaps being a bit overzealous. It's time to make some memories here, people, and to establish once and for all that I am the AWESOMEST AUNT EVER. Which hopefully will make me feel cooler than some of these other reasons to be a teacher:

1. Students who, after they ask what I did over the weekend and I tell them "stuff with friends," respond, "You have FRIENDS????"

2. Students who say, "Ms. Snow, can I trade you calves?" and the other student who turns around and goes, "I know, they're HUGE!!!" Oh, thanks, guys. How quickly you forget that I'm standing right here.

3. Students who say,
"We should get Ms. Snow a cell phone."
"Are you implying that I don't already have one?"
"Well....do you?"
"WHAT? Of course I have a cell phone! Who doesn't have a cell phone!"
"I don't know....I never see you use it."
"During class???"
"Well...I don't know....you, like...don't watch bad movies. Or use the internet..."
"USE THE INTERNET??????"

I'm totally ready for summer.