UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

NEW SPECIMENS OLD SPECIMENS THE SCIENTIST MY LOG CONTACT ME
2001-08-15 - 6:37 a.m.

THE BUZZ

School registration for middle school was today. Good PTO mom that I am, I worked a shift at registration trying to sell logo wear. In the past, logo wear has sold itself. This year selling logo wear took a lot of work. The logo wear is really ugly�grey with plain navy block lettering�and for some weird reason only comes in adult sizes with very few smalls. The main importance of registration, however, is not buying logo wear. It�s finding out who your homeroom teacher is. The main task of the night of registration is finding out who everyone else�s homeroom teacher is.

Somewhere long before I came to the district, our local schools figured out that the way to get parents to do the paperwork in advance of the first day was to hold registration a few weeks before. Just holding registration was not enough. They needed a hook to get parents to take the time to go to registration. The hook is learning who your homeroom teacher is. Class lists are posted the day before school starts so getting the information early is very valuable. But it�s only half of what is possible on Registration Day.

The other half is assembling class lists by calling as many people in your grade as possible. Day-Hay, who keeps up a running list by the phone, tends to be a big part of information central simply by virtue of her organizational skills. At her best, she not only places calls but writes down the information everyone else gives her and directs where the next calls should go. The phone rings constantly�and it�s not for me. Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.

Last year, registration night was a ghastly affair. With each call the list for Day-Hay�s class looked worse and worse. It soon became apparent that none of Day-Hay�s good friends were in her class. The year was even worse than it looked as though it would be on registration night. Not only was the class a social disaster, the new teacher that she got was exactly the wrong type of teacher for her and I ended up with a depressed child. Until last year, I didn�t know there was a wrong type of teacher for Day-Hay. I thought just about anyone could teach Day-Hay. Even now I wonder if the wrong teacher would have been okay if she had just had the right kids in her class.

But this year is better. I know Day-Hay�s homeroom teacher and this teacher will not lose her among students who are more demanding and have more obvious needs. If the buzz is correct (and is almost always is) at least one of her best friends is in her class and she generally likes the other girls in her class.

Most of Day-Hay�s anxieties about the start of school have been relieved. Thank goodness for good news�and the buzz.

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