hello school year, goodbye...peanuts?

Week two of the school year is just a sunrise away. I have to say, aside from the usual beginning of the year exhaustion it's been a decent start. I'm still trying to figure out how in the world this is my NINTH year of teaching. Nine years! I have to say that if the first week is any kind of indication of what's ahead for the year, I think it's going to be pretty pleasant. Thank goodness!
There's just one thing: for the first time I have a kid with a severe peanut allergy. Along with having these signs posted everywhere in and around my classroom, you wouldn't believe (well, maybe you would) how much it affects day to day school stuff like what kids can bring for lunch, what treats cannot be brought for a party, and every food item has to be checked for the "may contain nuts or have been processed in a plant where nuts have been in the past ten years" warning. It says something like that, right? I got a lesson on using an epi pen, which is just a needle with epinephrine in it, and my student wears it at all times. I'm ready to stab it into his leg at any moment. Maybe I should have gone to nursing school after all. That aside as an extra concern, my kids are fun...at least so far. We can make it through a year without m&m's, granola bars and peanut butter sandwiches, right?
Here's a great story from last week. I hope there are many more like this throughout the year: One of my darlings came in from lunch, raised his hand and said, "Hey Mrs. Boyce, do you know about the Andy Griffith show?" I said yes with a curious smile to which he followed up with, "That Opie, he just cracks me up." I ask you, what kid these days watches the Andy Griffith show and is interested in black and white television?