now she's hit the big time

Whenever I tell the kids that class is over their response is a cumulative "Deja!?" (Already?) followed by tears and desperate last-minute hugs as I pack up my things and leave the room.

Once I'm out I stand in the hallway for a few seconds. I listen to the muffled applause and screams of "I love Brooke!" I check to make sure I have my jacket. I wipe the chalk dust off my hands. And I fight the temptation to run back in yelling ENCORE! to the delight of my screaming fans.



I haven't done it. Yet. But I realized maybe comparing myself to the Beatles isn't that far-fetched - our fans have a lot in common. Like the bizarre fan art - the little pictures of me and British flags drawn on scraps of paper.



And the fact that while at school I'm constantly being chased after by packs of screaming fans clinging to my legs and trying to kiss me.



And when I cross the courtyard and the preschoolers I teach are playing in the preschool cage, they try to claw their way over the fence like wild animals, screaming "ELLO GOODBYE!"



"Don't let it go to your head." you say. "Why are they drawing British flags when you're American?" you ask. But I only get one year as a rock star, and I'm going to enjoy it. So if you have any more questions to ask me, I'll be on hopscotch square 7 during recess, signing autographs.