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| The following quote took place mere moments ago as Wendy's first grade class came down the hall to enter Abby's Spanish class. Alex: Mamasita. That's hott mama in Spanish. | | |
| Abby is across the hall teaching kindergarteners Spanish vocabulary. One of the boys went to the bathroom and came back awfully fast. Me: Did you wash your hands?Kindergarten Boy: (shocked look) Oh! I forgot! (run run run...water running...run run run back). | | |
| The biggest sigh in the world could not accurately convey how relieved I am tonight. Not only did I make it through the week of inservice (and my classroom is darn cute if you ask me!), but I also survived year two of back-to-school night. Now, in order to fully appreciate how well tonight went, let me preface this by explaining that last year, it was awful. I talked really really fast for about ten minutes, shook in my boots as I stared at unfamiliar faces in the classroom, and stumbled through an awkward orientation to third grade. When I was finished, I dismissed everyone, and then realized that Jo Anne was still talking away next door. Whoops...I ended too soon. And I said only a fraction of the things I meant to say. Ugh.
Needless to say, after a bad experience with back-to-school night, I was NOT looking forward to tonight. I was prepared to be shaky and nervous and stuttering again. Not this time! This time I made small talk with the parents and students until it was time to begin the orientation. I started with prayer and dove right in to my class handbook, which I wrote yesterday. (It's called the ABC's of Ms. Craig's class and has topics in ABC order. i.e. Absence, Attendance, Birthdays, Communication, etc.) I talked pretty quickly again this time, but I was flying through the packet and trying to communicate everything they ought to know about 3rd grade. As I was rattling off information about the new tardy policy, it occured to me that I was comfortable, cool, and collected. I knew what I was doing, and what I was talking about, and they were in my domain. Awesome!
When I finished talking (40 minutes later--not kidding!), Jo Anne's class had already finished. What a switch from last year! I had several parents come and tell me that I did a fantastic job, and a couple of them said that I really had it all together (fooled them!). It felt amazing to start the year off on such a positive foot with so many of these parents. I couldn't ask for a bigger blessing.
Sorry for all of the school updates. It's an all-consuming profession. Personal life? What personal life? I might have one by the end of September... :)
Tomorrow, Abby and I plan to use our pool passes and enjoy summer one last time. It will be wonderful! Then we'll have to go into school and work on lesson plans for a bit and put away all of the supplies that the kids brought tonight. But not yet. It's still summer...sort of! :)
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| I had forgotten. How could I possibly have forgotten? Somehow, in the midst of teaching my first year of third grade, and then having a wonderful summer that followed, I forgot how absolutely exhausting teacher inservice is! Ugh. There's nothing that I've come across that's comparable. If it were just one day, I would compare it to an exhausting project or studying for a big exam. But it's not just one day. It's at least five days, and in reality, many more. My bones ache and my head throbs. Wendy put it very aptly when she said that she can't remember a time when she ever wanted to be home more badly. Seriously. At the end of the day you're as tired as you can ever remember being.
And I wonder how I could have forgotten? What could have numbed my memory of this week? And then I remember the thirteen beautiful faces that sat in front of me for 180 days last year. Somehow the joy and exhilaration of teaching numb the exhaustion and the weariness of the preparation. And so I can't WAIT to have my class before me next Monday! All my own--my second class! A whole new chemistry and mix of kids.
But for right now I'm going to literally fall into bed and watch the Olympics until I cannot keep my eyes open for even one minute longer (I suspect I'll be asleep in less than five minutes). Tomorrow will come, and I will be back at school by 8 a.m. ... ready for another morning of inservice and afternoon/evening of classroom prep. And eventually--several weeks from now, perhaps--I will get to cleaning my house, sorting through the pile of papers that has accumulated on my desk, and returning the library books that are overdue. Okay, so maybe the library books need to get back sooner than a few weeks from now! :)
Goodnight!
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| Caffeine and I are over. I once had an amiable relationship with caffeine. I would consume it, and in return, it would allow me to accomplish things that I otherwise wouldn't have gotten done. In fact, it wouldn't be outrageous to credit caffeine with my completion of college and the attaining of my bachelor's degree. I owe a great deal to caffeine. Even so, my relationship with the drug is o-v-e-r. I'm an adult now, and I need to have an adult schedule. I need to learn to manage my time and not procrastinate so that I will not ever again need the services of caffeine to get me through a tough spot.
Tonight, however, I did not need caffeine. I did not consciously consume the drug in hopes of staying awake for hours upon end. On the contrary, I--without thinking--consumed not one but TWO caffeinated beverages from the ever-popularly esteemed coffee establishment: Starbucks. One Grande Java Chip Frappaccino Light was consumed when meeting with my new friend Rachel tonight before Frontline. I joined a new small group, and this was the first I've met any of my new friends. I think I'm going to like them! And then--as if that weren't enough caffeine for the girl who rarely has it anymore--after Frontline I went out to Starbucks again with my roommate Julia and the mom of one of my new students. This time the drug of choice was a Grande Iced Mocha.
And this, dear friends, is why I'm up and typing this atrocious tale at 12:30 a.m. when I have to be at work tomorrow! It's true; yesterday was the last day of summer. Tomorrow the teachers return. We're expected to be in Cottage B at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, alert and ready for inservice. I'll be there alright. My alarm is set to blare in six hours. But alert and awake? Not tomorrow.
The only good that coan come of this experience is that I've learned a valuable lesson. My relationship with caffeine is officially over. And I guess I'll be tired enough tomorrow night!
So long summer...
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