Back to School Dos & Don'ts

Francine, we are almost at the month anniversary marker, so can we laugh about the don'ts yet?
Sure hope we can, doll. If we "don't" have a sense of humor in our occupations, we will not last for very long, my longtime and very dear gal pal!
Do's:
1. Arrive on time, early for that matter. This gives us plenty of time to get our coffee in the teacher's lounge, have a nice chat, and stroll to our classrooms in a leisurely manner and look forward to our fruitful day ahead.

2. Accessorize smartly. Jewelry, such as bangles, are a no-no. They get in the way of our typing, writings notes and signing passes, and all the wonderful duties of a home economics teacher.

3. Set the tone at the very beginning of the school year. First, firm, fair, and then friendly.

4. Friday Get-togethers. The end of the week is a joyous time. Why not celebrate two "Jobs Well Done" by a visit to the local sewing/arts & crafts store and a coffee shop afterwards!

5. Menu plan. Wake up a wee bit later on Saturday (Sleeping in for us now means 7 AM). Get out your favorite cookbooks and steno pad, and plan your menus for the school week. Make your grocery list, shop early (market, butchers, pharmacy) because Jack will be home from golf around 2 PM.

Don'ts

1. Wear anything colored cream. Oh, my dear Francine. The wool blend suit was gorgeous indeed. But after first period, you knew your dry cleaning bills were going to skyrocket after going back to the classroom. Navy blue, burgundy, forest green, chocolate brown, are perhaps better color choices.

2. Put off for tomorrow what can be done today. Francine, take advantage of your preparation period. Leave your nights and weekends free to fuss over and pamper Jack. He won't tell you he feels neglected, but the dig about the tuna casserole speaks volumes.

3. Make the tuna casserole again for quite a long time (See #2).