5:00 PM -- Today, I finally mustered the courage, energy, and determination to go to my room. I may have mentioned that our school was the site for a special needs camp this summer, and I volunteered my room. The camp ended on July 17, and the maintenance workers needed about a week to get the floors stripped and waxed. We've had the go-ahead since early in the week, but I kept putting it off.
I know that once I go there, a change comes over me.It's similar to a metamorphosis. The sluggish, beach-on-the-mind person I have been begins to morph into a person with energy and intention. It feels good to be transitioning into school mode.
Here's what I faced when I went into my room:
 |
I love the bright and shiny floors! The room is like a blank canvas. One thing that I love to do is arrange my room differently every year. It's fun to find a new way to arrange desks, rugs, and other resources. Today, I sat down and looked around at all of my big pieces: rug, two over-sized chairs and an ottoman, and my rocking chair. I am going with a middle-of-the-room design this year. If you go back and ask my second class in this school, they might say, "Hey, this is how our room was arranged!" So, it's not entirely different, but last year's students will come by to say hello. They'll stand in the door and say wistfully, "It looks so different..."
August 4th is the day I meet my new students! The postcards went out on Wednesday, so everyone will probably know that I'm their teacher by tomorrow. I had a little bit of fun before I left school this evening. I made these for my windows in case some of my new friends happened to be driving by school. They looked straight when I was putting them up in the windows!
August 3 is when I am officially back in school. We'll have three days of meetings to plan, learn about new policies, and meet our new staff members. Teachers will have an administrative day on Thursday; that day is ours to work in our rooms. And, on Friday... our new friends will begin school!
I have two days of weekend to relax or work in my room. Guess which I'll be doing? I'm going to get some organization taken care of tomorrow, and then I'll rest on Sunday. That sounds like a doable goal. After all, the work will always be there, there will always be something else that needs to be fixed, made or redone, and in the end, I know I can't do it all. So, I do what I can, and prioritize the rest.
Do you ever wonder if your students are happy to have you? Or are they disappointed? I would never want to know if they were disappointed that they got me. On Day 1 of school, I always pause and tell my class, "Out of all of the second graders that I could have had, I got YOU. Someone picked YOU for me, and I am so happy that you're here."
I know that I am the ONE person who can make or break second grade for this group of children. I plan to make it a year that they'll never forget!
No comments: