Teacher Crack

I've always loved pens, pencils, stationary, backpacks, and notebooks. Now, I know why. Simply because it's teacher crack. Forget collecting shoes, Precious Moments, or travel-the-USA spoons. I am collecting the supplies of my new found career: teaching. Now, it's perfectly acceptable to go into Wally World and plunk down $$$ on post-it notes, composition notebooks (that I will never use but purchased them because of the cool cover designs), pens, markers, pencils, and a beach ball. Yes, a beach ball.

I read somewhere that as an ice breaker one should toss a beach ball around during the first day of class. Students catch it and answer a question - the one closest to their left thumb (after catching the beach ball). And, of course, I had to purchase several different Sharpie markers to write on the beach ball. I have varied the size and color of the ink. Now, do I write the questions directly on the beach ball or on one of the many shaped post-it notes and then stick those to the beach ball?

Wow. First day decisions. We never had this kind of trouble in corporate America. There were no beach balls.