This is the Caberet Table, the center of social life in the band room. Ms. Vasco and I ate lunch here approximately 1600 times. I sat in the chair on the left, she sat on the right.

I would usually eat a sandwich made by my sweet wife Sue (look out for jumpers!! (jumpers are little bits of chicken that leap from the sandwich during eating). Ms. Vasco would construct her sandwich or salad from bits of cold cuts and green stuff. Deli Zone was a favorite. Occasionally we would eat the school lunch. Of course, we stood on line with the kids and harrassed them.

During my early years at ITMS, the middle and high school music teachers would celebrate Friday Lunch. There was a roster of about 10 pizzarias, diners, and Applebees type places in our rotation. Chili's was our favorite. Appetizers, lunch, dessert! Life was good. Gradually, a lot of the food places closed and became banks. Teacher schedules got harder to align. Sigh ...

This table is also the place where we did the drum pad portion of the percussion lessons. We kept the pads on the folder cabinet, just within reach. I would sit in my usual lunch chair and the kids would line both sides of the table (extended with a school desk when necessary). These lessons were usually hysterical. There are good reasons for all the drummer jokes. We would pound out our paradiddles, radimacues and roll rudiments. Middle school drummers, prone to banana-head behavior to begin with, were especially goofy during these lessons. Fun was had ...

The Caberet Table was a prime spot during homeroom (called Goal Room back in the day). The older kids, who had spent several years with me, would take the younger ones there to counsel them. Much tutoring was done by the teacher and last minute homework done by the kids. When I had to "alphabetize" papers (a several times weekly annoying task), this is where I would work. I had a system.

my very first goal room class

our award winning entry to the pumpkin contest