In life, many times it’s the little things that make it all worthwhile. I say that to the lunch ladies in the morning, who laugh at how stoked I am to see that they’re cooking breakfast burritos. (Eggs, potatoes, bacon – they make a special one for me without cheese – for 1.25 w/juice? That’s a beautiful thing.) And I know all of you out there know what I mean when I talk about walking into the faculty room, and seeing a pie, or a little deli spread with a sign that says, “Thanks from the Leadership Clas” (sic), and that feeling you get, like, hey this ain’t half bad.
It’s all about the snacks.
The best part of almost any in-service is the snacks. Usually that’s all I can think of to say on the little comment sheets at the end: “tasty snacks.”
When I was a BTSA adviser, we had a director who always made sure there were snacks. And lunch. And beverages. One all-day training was out on the coast (a whole 15 minutes away) at a place called The Inn, overlooking the ocean. Lunch was chicken Cordon Bleu, merci beaucoup.
One of our previous principals, who was more than a little driven let’s say, had been a home ec. teacher before moving up the ladder. We always had a lot of pies. During holiday season, we might show up for a collaboration meeting, and find that she had prepared 13 page handouts for everyone, a presentation, and a roast.
The PTA furnishes cold cuts and cookies and suchlike for our faculty meetings, and our assistant supe brought candy to every meeting when she was head of curriculum. Nearly every day, in the faculty room, a pie or cookies or a cake left over from a meeting appears with a sign that says eat me. And therein lies today’s tale.
This morning, Mrs. G, she of the smelly nuts, brought in a bundt cake from a church function, and started slicing it up. Mondays are collaboration day, so there were no kids around, and it was pretty quiet. I, along with the rest of the English department, had a meeting in a few minutes, with our assistant supe about our “benchmark tests.” (Dang, I swore I wasn’t going to use quotes.) I dropped in on two fat pieces (I know, I know, my wife tells me all the time), and headed in to the conference room. Mrs. G asked who I was meeting with, and when I told her, she said she would have to bring a piece for her, since “Maude” always brought food to their meetings. So we both head in with our coffee cake.
After the pleasantries, I get down to eating.
Tasty. But there’s something about it. By halfway through the second piece – I’m not much of a savorer – where we’re talking about whether or not the district wants us to all be teaching the same thing at roughly the same time…it didn’t sound like that, but… I got it.
Rum. Monday wasn’t so bad today. Forgot to notice if’n the assistant superintendent ate hers.
That reminds me of those great SNL skits about the Sofa King. You know, how the prices are "Sofa King" low, the deals are "Sofa King" great, etc. (You obviously have to say those phrases out loud to get the joke.)
I agree that it’s all about the snacks. Meetings are so much better with something to eat and drink.
Funny enough, a parent brought in a rum cake for a project/celebration they were having on the 6th grade hall…and it was for the kids. They didn’t find out there was rum until after they gave it out and the kids had eaten it. Needless to say the office quickly took hold and ate it themselves.