Oh, my friends...

 We are deep into school now but my heart is a little bit back at summer.

 Recurring theme: I'm not ready.
For the facetime (?) and skype sessions (?!)
with homeroom teachers.
For the twelve-class-per-week dance year
to sweep us off our feet and onto our toes.
For doctors and dentists and library days.
Schedule schmedule.

 So I take some deep breaths and focus on now,
but not with the camera lens,
because it's hard to teach
United States government
and shoot at the same time.

 I can't recall having this particular angst before,
and believe me I thought I'd worried them all

to the bone, those worry-worthy subjects
of children who grow and change and,

you know,

get lives and governmental theories of their own.

 This week Madeleine and I met with her high school adviser.

I considered canceling but unfurling leaves keep reaching for sunshine.

This week Sarah started algebra.
I considered helping.
I offered to help.
But she let me know she is fine
as she went about solving for x,
that timeless question of an unnamed quantity.
Quality.

This week Grace cracked herself up
while reading Alice in Wonderland
and Laura explained the difference between
a letter and a phonogram
to Salvador.

This week I lost my coffee cup approximately seven times per day.
Not everything is different from last year.
Just to be clear.
Some things remain known.
While I'm solving for x
when change remains constant.