Page 26 of Home Field Advantage
“Appreciate that,” I settle on, shaking the thoughts from my head and returning a smile to Ben. “I’d better go get everything ready.”
“See you at lunch?” he asks.
“Maybe.” I shrug, trying not to fall for his antics. “Have a good day, Ben.”
Spinning on my heel and not letting him get another word in, I continue toward my classroom. When I step in, I look around and see that everything is the way I left it, and that always makes me feel relieved. After placing the papers in a neat pile on the corner of my desk, I pull my planner out of my bag and place it flat in the center of the desk. I place a red, blue, and black pen, as well as a sharpened pencil, across the top. When I glance at the clock, I notice I still have three minutes before the day really begins.
Pulling out my notepad that has my name across the top, I begin making small boxes on the left-hand side of each line. There’s something about checking off something on a list that tickles my brain in all the best ways. I’ve become a person who will make lists for anything and everything. Whether it’s things to do in the classroom, house cleaning to-do lists, or obviously, the regular shopping lists.
I start listing all the priority stuff to do today.
1. Straighten up the drawing table
2. Order more dry-erase markers
3. Print worksheets for the telling time activity
After I finish, I check the dry-erase markers on the board and ensure the caps are arranged with their labels facing the same direction. Today, I pull out the green one and write my morning welcome message on the whiteboard.
Welcome to Miss Barlow’s class, Sage.
Stepping back, I smile proudly at the straight line of letters I made across the board and the perfect bubbly curve of each letter.
It’s the little things that bring me a boost of serotonin and make me smile.
People tend to throw the term “obsessive-compulsive disorder” around like a personality trait, saying things like “I’m so OCD because I like my desk neat.” But it’s so much more than that.
The bell rings across the speaker, signaling that the students are entering the building. I quickly grab the wipes from the table by my front door, wipe down the desks, and position the chairs just right for each student before they filter in.
“Good morning, friends,” I say cheerily.
“Good morning, Miss Barlow,” they say at different times while settling into the routine.
I scan the children huddled in the corner where the cubbies are situated, but I don’t see her yet. They hang their backpacks on one hook and their winter jackets on another before tucking their lunch boxes into the bin assigned to their spot.
Then, my new student walks in.
Sage doesn’t have a smile on her face and looks nervous, which I expected. She’s wearing black leggings and an oversized pink leopard-print shirt, with her jacket already draped over her arm.
As I crouch down to Sage’s eye level, I make sure my smile is warm and my voice is gentle. “Good morning. I’m Miss Barlow. I’m so, so happy to meet you.”
“I’m Sage,” she says, eyes everywhere but on me, one hand plays with the end of her low ponytail resting over her shoulder.
I take one of her hands in mine, and she finally looks at me. “It’s okay to be nervous. I get nervous, too. Especially when big changes happen.”
“You do?”
I nod, keeping a reassuring smile on my face. “Always. But we’re going to have so much fun today.” Holding her hand in mine, I stand as I guide her to the corner. “I have a cubby over here for you. Later today, I’ll make you your own nameplate for it.”
“I can put my stuff in here?”
“Yep. This one is all for you.”
She looks from me to the cubby before removing her backpack and placing it on the hook to the right, then unzipping it to grab her lunchbox and putting it in the bin.
“I like having a cubby,” she says with a smile. And my heart warms at the quick comfort in her face as she looks around the room. “This classroom is a lot nicer than my old one. It’s colorful.”
“I’m glad you like it, Sage. I have a desk set up for you, too.”
