At least there's a song at the end...

"Have a good evening!" I call cheerfully after my student. I figure I should at least inject some enthusiasm into wishing him a good night, because he had me right after the children, and they always leave me a bit drained and dazed.

As the door shuts, I turn to my next student. "Hello, Marco! How are you?" I sing my greeting in his general direction, stretching my face into a smile. He takes a few moments to compose his response, and I use the time to try to remember what chapter we were in with his group. The one with the family tree? No, we're not that far yet. Perhaps it was the one with the jobs. Luckily for me, he takes lessons with another student, who hasn't arrived yet.

"We'll just wait a minute for Gianni, okay?" I try to figure out how to mime waiting for Gianni, and fail. Instead, I point to the chair to indicate that he should remain seated, and retreat behind the screen that shelters the "office" from "reception".

I grab their register and the book I'm using with them, and then it takes me a moment to decipher my own handwriting before I uncover what page they're supposed to be on. Ah. The chapter with the map of the small town. Splendid.

Another teacher looks up from her diligent photocopying.

"Rough day?" she asks.

"Meh," I reply noncomittally. "Not so bad." She glances over my shoulder.

"Hey, there's a song at the end of that chapter!" she informs me bracingly. "Beatles." I ponder this. A guaranteed six minutes of not teaching (they'll need to listen to it at least twice). And with heartening music, too.

Well, at least that's something to look forward to.