Excitement About the Start of Another Year!

    It has been fourteen years since I have had a classroom to call my own, one to prepare and decorate to spark excitement and a desire to learn, since I have had my own set of children to be responsible for their learning, and since I have been able to feel the excitement and anticipation of the start of this new school year. Yes, it has been a long time since I have had the feelings that I'm experiencing right now. Only a teacher knows and I have to say that these feelings have to be exaggerated for an elementary teacher. When I was serving in my other roles for the last fourteen years, I didn't feel the way I'm feeling now. What's the difference? I'm not sure....... I can only tell you that there is a difference.

    I have been working in my room for a week now. Oh, how I wish I had taken a picture to show you from what I started. Let me tell you, the teacher who had my room last year in formed me that I might want to leave the large mural that she had stapled on the back wall (the wall directly across the room from the door) up because the paint looked really bad behind the mural. Well, I took the mural down. BIG mistake! The dark blue wall had blotches of missing paint. My room had been painted many times which was apparent from the layers of paint which had peeled off and was attempting to peel in new places. Of course, I could not stay in a room that looked like this so I did what any teacher would do. I went to Wal-Mart and bought paint. Of course, the Wal-Mart employee explained to me that I would need to prime the wall first if I wanted to make sure that the dark blue did not fade through the beautiful, soothing light blue color that I was purchasing. The color was "Sweet Baby Blue." I definitely wanted my walls to look nice and followed his recommendation. Yes, I bought a primer too.

    Off to the school I went. I did have a kind college student to offer to help me. I taped around all of the baseboards, ceiling, and window. I had two large walls that needed painting. My helper began painting with the primer. While he was painting, I finished taping. I did have a slight accident. We are told not to stand on tables for a reason. You can fall and get hurt. Yes, I did slip and took a bit of a tumble. I didn't hit the floor completely. I caught myself and just skinned the shin bone on my left leg. I did yell a little but I didn't say an ugly word! I thought that was all I did but I actually sprang my ankle too. It wasn't a bad sprang like I had in high school. It didn't even turn blue. It just swells enough to hide my ankle.....Anyway, after I was able to get my composure back, I began going through stuff, sorting, and organizing what was already in the room. I had a lot of my stuff that I wanted to bring to the school but until I made room, I couldn't bring anything. Well, my helper had to stop at 11:30 pm and he was not finished. That was fine. I had plenty to keep me busy the next day and hanging stuff on the wall wasn't on the list. He assured me that he would help again the next afternoon and he did. He actual finished the primer about 10:30 pm on day 2.

    The next day (day 3), I went to the school at 8:00 am and started painting with my beautiful "Sweet Baby Blue" paint. Around 12:00 my sweet husband brought me a chicken sandwich. I believe I finished that sandwich in less that 15 minutes and back to painting I went. I did finish both walls by 3:30 pm. By this point I was almost dead! Well, maybe not almost dead but I was extremely sore! It has been years since I have painted anything!

    I could only work in my room a little the next day. I felt like I was moving things around more than anything else. I did go to Hancock Fabrics and buy some beautiful material to cover my door. My older sister is such a talented decorator. It seems that two of my sisters have that gift. Anyway, she was so sweet to help me cover my door. She cut the material perfectly for the knob and lock. I have already had comments about how perfectly the material fits over those items. I bought enough to make some curtains to cover the open cabinets stuffed with a variety of materials over the sink and counter. Of course, I'm not much of a homemaker and I'm certainly not a seamstress and making curtains isn't my forte. I'm am fortunate enough to have a wonderful sister-in-law who is always willing to help me. Did I tell you that she sews everything? Well, I measured my cabinets and headed for her house. Did I tell you that I'm not a seemstress?  I measure the cabinets and she created some really cute curtains. However, they are too long..... This was not her mistake but mine. It has to do with measuring. I should have made a note that I added a couple of inches so that the curtains would not be too short. However, I didn't remember doing that when I typed the measurements into the Notes app on my iPhone! Oh well, I'm sure that I can work on the length a little later. They are serving their purpose and doing an absolutely, lovely job of hiding the contents of the cabinets!

    I had a few errands I had to make this morning. I had a meeting about changes in the student management program/gradebook program. Then my principal treated all of the new teachers at my new school to lunch. He even gave us a small goodie bag from our PTO. After lunch, I ran to the local "Teachers Store" to buy hangers for the ceiling rails in my classroom. I also saw some tape that specifically had printed on the package that it would not peel of paint. I was excited because I had to hang some items in my room. After making my purchases, I headed to my school. I began hanging a few of the decorations that I used fourteen years earlier. Your right, I saved almost everything. I have only taken a few of my large plastic containers to my room and I have found some really cute stuff that I made with the help of some of my teacher assistants who I have had in the past. I also hung a few items that the teacher who was in my room last year left. I was really loving my tape. I hung one of my verb clouds a little crooked. I pulled it in an attempt to straighten it and I was disgusted when a chunk of paint came with it. OH NO!!!! Not the wall that I tortured myself painting it. I quickly stuck that edge back and did NOT straighten the cloud. I will NOT use that $11.00 tape on my painted wall. I should have known better. I should have tested it in a small inconspicuous place but did I? Nope, I didn't. Yes, another lesson learned! With this I decided I needed to head home, vote, get some coffee, and eat. Then, I'll head back to the school.

    After eating, I finally was able to pursued my youngest daughter to accompany me to the school after I ran a few errands. I also was able to get my college student to help again. Now, my purpose for this trip to the school was to focus on sorting some more items to hang on the walls, arrange the furniture, and throw out stuff that I don't think I'll use. My daughter was instructed to punch out my letters and hot glue them to my material on my door to form my greeting. My college student helper was instructed to hang the number line around my room hanging it at the very top of the wall where the ceiling and wall meet. After that, he was to hang my ceiling hangers so I would be ready for my center signs that my niece is creating. After my daughter finished her task, I talked her into tracing small circles for me to use on the gum ball machine that I'll be using for rewarding/punishing behavior. She didn't have time to finish so she brought those home with us.

I have been so busy. Every time I stop to think that school will be starting in just a few days, my stomach feels that is is rolling. I have butterflies. I am so nervous and excited at the same time. What a mixture of emotion. Why would someone with over 26 years of experience choose to go back to the classroom? Am I crazy? I have had teachers ask me that.....

I have to go to bed. Teachers in my school district officially start work tomorrow. All teachers report to a district wide meeting early in the morning. I'll have more for you later. Be sure to check back and see what life is like for this "Veteran Educator!"