I awoke last Friday extra early and skipped my normal morning workout in order to cook up 30 links of sausage, three dozen pancakes, two dozen scrambled eggs and a few bowls of Frosted Flakes.  My American Studies students were coming over for breakfast before their AP English Language exam at 8 a.m.

Having seen these kids in a first period class (can you say catatonic?), I wanted to make sure they were truly awake before they took on an hour of filling out multiple choice followed by two-hours of writing three essays.  When I told them to be at my house at 7am, one young man blanched.  The wisdom of the plan was inconceivable to him.  At the urging of his peers he acquiesced.

We piled around my dining-table-made-for-eight with our coffee and orange juice, we talked about everything but English and listened to music with an extra thumping bass line.  I watched them all come to life and by the time I sent them on their way with Snickers bars for a mid-exam snack, they were practically skipping out the door.

I saw my students at lunch, and though discussing the exam is strictly verboten, they assured me it had gone well.  As they headed off to their afternoon classes, I told the baseball players among them I’d see them at their game later that afternoon.

In the 95-plus degree heat, my daughters and I sat eating peanuts and Cracker Jacks while we watched my students swing, throw, catch and run their way to a 16 to 6 victory over their opponents.

When just a short while later,the curtain went up on the Jazz Ensemble who were performing at our Big Gymkhana Weekend Live Auction, I chuckled to see a few of my students, still in their baseball uniforms, standing out among their black-clothing clad friends as they played their hearts out.  That they were still in uniform later that evening as they jumped around on the dance floor with their parents at the post-auction dance was the perfect visual for the glory of a full day’s work.  From breakfast to 10 p.m. snacks, from sun up to full moon, from AP exam to base hit to bass line, they were living large, Thacher style.