Well, it’s that time of year again, where we teachers pull our noses out of the professional books and/or other distractions we’ve been hiding behind all summer, look at our classrooms, and think, “how is this all going to be ready by Sept 1?!”
In the case of myself and my school colleagues this year, an added challenge comes in the form of newly painted classrooms. For many of us at my school, the last few weeks of June were spent madly stuffing things into any box we could find in order to empty out the classroom in time for the painters to begin their jobs July 1.
To say that I did so in an orderly fashion, taking the opportunity to discard items I no longer need, and neatly labeling things for easy unpacking in August, would be to tell an untruth.
And so, in addition to the mass of furniture stuffed into my room needing to be organized and set up, I will be coming back to at least 100 boxes of independent reading books, math texts and various other odds and ends that will need to find a home on a shelf or elsewhere in my room.
To make matters worse, the government is threatening to pass all manner of legislation that will negatively affect teachers and other education workers (and therefore, students), so a rally is scheduled for Tuesday August 28th, right in the midst of prime classroom set up time!
Yikes!
Happily, two dear friends stopped by earlier this week while I was still driving back from PEI, to set up the bones of the classroom. They took some photos; as I opened the email enroute from New Brunswick to Quebec City on Tuesday, I could feel my blood pressure rising! WHEN AND HOW WILL I DO IT ALL??!!
In the case of myself and my school colleagues this year, an added challenge comes in the form of newly painted classrooms. For many of us at my school, the last few weeks of June were spent madly stuffing things into any box we could find in order to empty out the classroom in time for the painters to begin their jobs July 1.
To say that I did so in an orderly fashion, taking the opportunity to discard items I no longer need, and neatly labeling things for easy unpacking in August, would be to tell an untruth.
And so, in addition to the mass of furniture stuffed into my room needing to be organized and set up, I will be coming back to at least 100 boxes of independent reading books, math texts and various other odds and ends that will need to find a home on a shelf or elsewhere in my room.
To make matters worse, the government is threatening to pass all manner of legislation that will negatively affect teachers and other education workers (and therefore, students), so a rally is scheduled for Tuesday August 28th, right in the midst of prime classroom set up time!
Yikes!
Happily, two dear friends stopped by earlier this week while I was still driving back from PEI, to set up the bones of the classroom. They took some photos; as I opened the email enroute from New Brunswick to Quebec City on Tuesday, I could feel my blood pressure rising! WHEN AND HOW WILL I DO IT ALL??!!
This week, my girlfriend is reading “The Literacy Café” and various Math resources to me while I drive, and as I daydream about how I am going to implement all the wonderful suggestions they make into my class this year.
Next week, I will have to stop daydreaming and start unpacking.
I have begun praying for strength and miracles.
Next week, I will have to stop daydreaming and start unpacking.
I have begun praying for strength and miracles.
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