My first day of school was awesome! I love my class already. They are adorable and very sweet. I think they'll be a good group of kids. Where's the wood to knock on? Ha! Ha! My highlight today was when a kid from another class said, "Yo bawd! (Your bald!)" "Whews yo hay yo?" (Where's your hair?), to which I replied that it was gone, but that it would grow back. He said, "Why?" and then later said, "I don't wike it?" Ha! Ha! Ha! It's a good thing I love children so much. It was so funny that it didn't even bother me that he didn't like it. Oh my! Kids are funny! Being bald at school is going to be entertaining. I think it'll take everyone some time to get used to my look. I get a lot of puzzled expressions when kids see me in the hall. They'll get used to me though. I'll just have to be really nice and friendly.

Today we had a cancer lesson about how cancer isn't contagious. I had my "Grandma Daisy" puppet visit and she and I talked and discussed all of the questions that I thought the children might have about why I was bald and what they could expect with it. I think it went really well. I definitely had their attention! A visitor from the district came in to observe us after the lesson, and he asked the kids what they had learned today and they said that they had learned about cancer. I thought it was pretty cool that they mentioned that instead of something else. I hope they'll understand that they can hug and/or touch me and understand that they can't catch it, like they would the flu or a common cold. At the end of the lesson I asked them if they wanted to help me, and they all nodded enthusiastically that they did. When I told them they could help me by washing their hands after using the bathroom they looked surprised and delighted. Many of them had a look on their face like, "I can do that!".

I'm tired and exhausted after my first day back. I'll probably feel more exhausted than normal this year, but I feel enthused that I get to work with kids again. It's good for me and I enjoy it more than I can express. I'm nervous about the week of Labor Day though. I hope I have the strength to do whatever I need to do.

I brought a special cancer hat to school today. I told the kids that if I put the hat on it meant that I wasn't feeling good and that I felt good if I wasn't wearing it. It was fun seeing their faces when they realized that I was feeling good today. I think my hat idea is a good one. I won't wear the hat much, but I think it'll help the kids to understand that I feel good most of the time. Maybe it'll help them worry less too.

It was a good day! I hope to have many days in the future just like this one. I feel happy and content and that's the best part. Now I'm going to put my feet up and revise tomorrow's lessons. I'm also going to say thank you in my prayers tonight for such a good day and for what appears to be a good class.