02 September 2012

The stuff dreams are made of

I've started having the school dreams.  In the past, it has been just a few days before the start of school.  This time around it is over a week before school starts (Thursday after Labor Day).

Each time, the dreams are full of all the things I need to do and all of the teachers I have met so far.

I am excited to be starting at a new school in a new state and am glad the content is somewhat similar to some courses I have taught before.

I am also very thankful for this summer.  Not only because I made this move toward the end of the summer, but because it was, literally, the longest summer break I have ever had.  My St. Louis school ended before Memorial Day in May and I don't start here until this coming week.  It is the first time I have had a full three month break to rejuvenate.

I do feel somewhat more refreshed than I ever have in all my years of teaching, but now I have a lot to do to get ready for the new year at the new school - mapping out the curriculum for the year and posting it outside the room, creating a syllabus for each class, learning the textbook, figuring out how to use the grading system, figuring out the new email, making sure I am truly cleared to teach.  Things that I normally would have been able to do throughout the summer or even before the summer began.

I also have supplies to buy (and figure out if the school has some supplies or if I have to buy them myself).  I also have a room to decorate (a lot of the other rooms I have seen so far are super decorated - I guess in part because it is a 6-10 school and in part because they are creative).  I am not a fuzzy, glittery decorator, but I feel like I at least need to put up a sign with my name and saying welcome, or something in addition to the few posters I was able to take from the old school.

This is just a snippet of the things on my mind as I free-write for this Stream of Consciousness Sunday. You can join in or read others' posts at Jana's Thinking Place.  Just write for five minutes on the prompt she has given, or on any other topic that you just want to let out of your system.

10 comments:

  1. good luck in your new adventure! I hope all of the details fall into place easily for you.

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    1. Thanks!! They are gradually falling into place.

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  2. It isn't easy to start new, but it does have its rewards. Best of luck in your new adventure.

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    1. It can be a challenge, that is for sure! Thank you for the well wishes.

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  3. I wish three months was the norm. The summers go by really fast. I feel like its closer to two months. I'm almost certain that when I was in elementary school we got out around Memorial Day and went back after Labor Day.

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    1. It is definitely closer to two. Usually, I have gotten out in the beginning of June, had all of July off and then started toward the beginning of August. Teachers of summer school typically teach into the beginning of July.

      I remember the days when it felt like summers were longer, too.

      Those were the days!

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  4. Good luck as you start school. Teachers are such an undervalued resource. And my room would not be the uber decorated-kind either.

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    1. Thank you for the well wishes and for the compliment... if only all people recognized our value and treated us as such (and I'm not just talking about the pay scale).

      Glad I'm not the only non-super decorative person. I love watching some design shows on tv, but I'm pretty simple.

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  5. Good luck starting school! I hope you have a great week!!

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    1. Thank you!!! And thanks again for hosting SOC!

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