To work

Sitting in bed. Cup of tea. Sleeping cat. Quiet holiday Monday. Somehow I have to work up the energy to get myself into school. I promised myself I would go in today. Staple up that last bulletin board. Clean the last clutter off the counters. Bring a plant in the brighten the room. (I can have a plant! I have windows! Glory glory glory!) Maybe make some copies. Fully plan the first few weeks- weeks full of get to know you, name learning, rule giving, pretesting, and general observation of who these new students are.
Anyway... I guess it's time to leave this cozy day and get my mind around SCHOOL. School tomorrow.

meetings

Sitting in the media center (library) for hours at a time remains, with out a doubt, the hardest part of the week back to school. The stuffy, windowless media center just seems to suck Suck SUCK the energy out of me and turn me into a cranky, eye rolling participant. And the thing is, the things we are being told are important. The team building we do matters. The personality survey actually gave me insight to myself and my coworkers. It's just sitting and counting down the minutes to get into my classroom, to sort through things, to plan the exciting first week. That's the hard part. Knowing a classroom waits for you on the other side of professional development. 

So, I survived a morning of presentations. A morning of what our vision is at our school, what the vision is of the District. How we will continue the work we were doing last year. How we will move forward with amazing work in education, even as the budget shrinks and our class sizes grow. 

I can do this. I feel strong as a teacher this year. I am strong. I'm a freakin' 5th year teacher. I'm not the new gal any more. I have more materials than I know what to do with. I have a tool box of ideas. I have sound, strong philosophies and a good idea how to put them to practical use in my classroom. 

So the morning, as painful as sitting and listening and staying focused was... it did get my brain on track. It got the vocabulary back in my head (MYP, standards based learning, formative assessment, assessment for learning, individual student growth, rigor for all, etc, etc etc). I made my way back to my classroom after lunch and got to work. I cleaned, I filed, I hung posters and I THOUGHT. I thought about the first week. The first month. The first unit. The foundations for the year. Because there are just a couple more days to get it all in order. Then BOOM. We begin. 

back.

Tomorrow I enter my room again. I turn on the lights, I go to my desk, and boom- the school year continues. I don't know what I will find on my desk. Can't remember what piles I left. I'm not even sure what I will teach tomorrow. I see that as a good sign. I let it all go this break. I relaxed. I saw family. I enjoyed each day.
But it will be good to be back. Good to see my co-workers. Good to see the students. Good to start the year with a fresh mind and new determination. I will attack differentiation with new energy. I will push each student and create opportunities for every student in my room to access quality, high level learning. 2011. It will be a good year.

Just a few more hours

I have first day of school jitters! I do! In bed, my mind is racing with things I need to JUST LET GO:
School wide scheduling: SUDDENLY I have solutions for more plan time, more teaching time, better elective offerings, blah blah blah. In the morning light I'll realize I scheduled 6th grade lunch at the same time as 6th grade band class.
My project journal: didn't my aunt give me a journal to keep track of my craft projects in? Where did I pack that? must find it
That DAMN new kid: already suspended, but will be back on Wednesday. What will we do with him??
Jasper moved. Hmmm, good kid, will miss him. That's one more seat in the room.
SHIT- seating: I need to assign new seats when I get to school.
myyyyyy back Huuuuuurts. What did I do to that muscle? Should I go to spin class this week?
BIKE! I told my sister she could have that old bike in the garage. I should dust it first.
SKIIIII BUUUUSSS. Shit. Need to get that organized.
oh yeah, math department, I'm co-head now, don't we have a meeting this week? What did I say I would have done for that?
I wonder what my desk looks like? Can't remember.
Meetings!! I volunteered to host one at my super messy house. CRAP.
Valentine's day, looked at the cutest project... but should save it for a less hectic year. WHERE is that journal my aunt gave me? I bet it's on that bookshelf by the computer. I may as well get up to look.

And on and on and on and on and on.

I must sleep. But who has the time?

hey- there's that journal. now back to bed.

New Year, New Start... same old kids...

In just a few days I'll be back in the classroom. I'm rested, I'm ready, and I'm hoping for a snow day. That's just the way it goes.
The week before break proved to be as hard as every year. Something about THAT week, beyond all other weeks, just exhausts me. These two weeks off keep me sane. I rest. The students rest. We come back with new energy and enthusiasm.
There will be plenty to write and reflect on in the new year.
We got a new student before the break that will provide plenty to write about. Five days into his time at school and he has already been out of school suspended.
I have a student I want to get more special services for-- but it's going to mean some battles with red tape.
We have ballot measures that will determine how many days the doors of the school will stay open. (VOTE YES- 66 and 67.)
And always, there is the unknown. 2010--- here it comes.