Day 1

The first day of my first year - complete with the Mayor the Superintendent, the district people, NBC camera crews, and both principals in a room of crying, wiggling, stubborn 4 year olds wearing graduation caps. Oh my goodness. Suffice to say I cried when my principal asked how the day went...feel ridiculous now when I look back and realize that we did centers, we read 3 stories, sang 4 songs, drew pictures, put stickers on our names, walked in the hall, had recess, survived someone refusing to come in, survived 3 tantrums - from the same child, complete with kicking off shoes and back arching, survived a wheezing, feverish child who was removed from his home last night, and a reading, talking (with no filter) 4 year old who tried to run the room. Not to mention a child who only speaks Turkish.

Yeah and I'm smiling - breathing -and exhausted on the other side. Why I cried? I think the daunting task of going from chaos to reading is overwhelming. I don't know where to start with them. But it felt good...really....parts of it anyway.

Room 17

"You have Brains in your head and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose!" The words face you as you leave my bright, warm, and Dr. Seuss-filled room that now smells of air freshener and new crayons. Name tags are down, boards are almost done, the finishing touches today. I soak up the silence, broken by the jazz I am playing to keep calm. I love it. I am here, I have keys to a room that is mine...I have 23 students who will meet me tomorrow and in a few short months leave me to be big 1st graders...and in the mean time I have the responsibility of teaching them how to be little people - respectful, kind, independent, reading, speaking, computing, cleaning, and writing, little people. YIKES!! I don't even know how to start. I wonder if it is possible to be overprepared. 2 bachelor degrees and 1 master's later I don't feel any more ready than I did after the first degree...or even after my first education class....

Here goes.

Noises

Settling into a new space is exciting - expensive - exhausting - and here I am at 12:30 am - I have to be up by 6:45am and all I hear are noises. What was that? How did something fall if no one is there to make it move? What's creaking? Who's outside? Did I lock the doors (for the 100th time). Things I've never worried about or thought about and suddenly it's my space...my home...and it's up to me to make it cozy, safe, sleepable, visitable, and familiar.

I'll just lay here until the house is familiar with me then...go ahead, make noise, I'll learn to love them and I learn to call this place my first home away from home.

those questions everyone asks

So I fly out tonight to start my job on Monday and every time I see someone who knows me or my family, I get these questions...

1. when do you start: Monday
2. Why so early: It's a Tier 3 Turnaround School with a Brand new faculty - lots to change before school starts
3. When do the kids start: September 1
4. What grade: Kindergarten
5. How cute! : yes I am excited.
6. How old: mostly 4 years old New haven is the least strict district about the cut off age.
7. Are you ready? : Well I think so ... but I have some shopping to do.
8. How Many? : Probably 25 or so
9. Full day or half day? : Full - extended day - school day is about and 1.5 hours longer than a normal school.
10. What does turn around mean?: It means they were failing, they fired their faculty and only hired back 4 teacher - the rest of us are new hires and are all in agreement about what good urban ed looks like.
11. Are you so excited? : Yes but I have also been having nightmares every night about the first day of school.
12. Where are you living? : About 5 mins from my school in an apartment I haven't seen yet - I move in on Friday.

I LOVE to talk about my job ... but those are the top 12 questions : ).

Also - Sunday I will pick up a play kitchen for my classroom and Tuesday some potato heads and a dollhouse - very exciting!

airports induce writing.

7/16/2010

Molly Hatchet Band – in white Reeboks – who are they?

Middle of the terminal is a mosaic in shades of blue tile, and everyone stops right in the middle to look around…moving or trying, dodging wheels and legs and small heads that dart about at knee height. Older woman almost knocked over in the bathroom by someone with suitcase. We are all just running around.

Once again in an airport and naturally inspired to write – but it has been awhile and it feels good.

The man with the ugly cardigan tied around his tiny waist and his LV bag doesn’t realize there is a line behind him and takes his time. He also doesn’t seem to notice the haze or 85+ degree weather.

Book stores smell familiar and I love it but none appeal. My protein yogurt smoothie hits the spot and the baby next to me is smiling up a storm.

My mind races from what happened since Monday – suddenly I’m headed to Denver and meanwhile my heads wraps itself around kindergarten – 4 years olds who don’t know up from down and left from right but by the time they leave me, will know the basics of reading and math skills not to mention they will have acquired a level of responsibility, personality, and independence. Yikes.

First class is seated….time to pack up and scope out my seat mates, yet again. Converse? Possibly. Get lost in my book? Likely. Write? Probably not where wandering eyes might judge my interest in musing. Later perhaps.