Back to School

I've been out of my classroom for a week. My injury prevented me from being on my feet and for three days a team of teachers helped put together a variety of lesson plans for a mix matched group of subs.
Thursday I walked in to my classroom, to put in one day of teaching and to get a better feel for what was happening during my bed rest.
I walked in the room at 7:30am.

I burst into tears.

I couldn't picture the day in front of me. I couldn't make heads or tails of the notes left by subs. I felt tired.

And then I started organizing piles. I made lesson plans for the day. I limped around my room and picked up papers that had been left behind, straightened desks, and got my feel for the room again.

And I survived. My students sweetly expressed their worry for me. We caught up on assignments, I taught a new lesson on solving systems of equations with substitution. The day felt far from perfect. I couldn't move from desk to desk and answer questions. I reached a point of exhaustion by the end of day and had trouble staying cheerful for my last period. But I did it. I'm back.

I took off Friday, but I'll be back tomorrow (Monday) and ready to give it another try.