First Day of School

Boy oh boy, the first day was a whirlwind. There are so many routines to go over to get things to run smoothly. I sometimes worry that I'm overwhelming them... We took a lot of jump rope breaks to help combat brain fatigue. Two of my kids can't jump rope! I tried to teach them how to do it, but it's going to take practice.

Our school day was sunny and not too hot, though now storm clouds are rolling in. We were afraid it would pour all day, forcing us to have chapel in the gym and recess there too. The gym is still a bit of a mess from all the work done around school this summer. We got central air put in along with new furnaces. They painted the office, the hallway floor, and my coatroom/entryway. School looks pretty sharp! The gym floor got waxed as usual. The girls' bathroom got an update (wider stalls and doors that actually latch shut!). My classroom got a new inside door/door frame. Unfortunately, we don't have a door handle yet; it's just a hole. The difference in air pressure from my room to the gym makes the door suction shut so it can be a challenge to get out of the room. We've managed so far.

One last project is still in the works: the new shed behind the gym. This will be connected so we can always get to it, even if there's snow. The old shed is getting moved between the playground and the woods (great! now it will keep them out of the woods!). Some guys worked on it all day. My classroom walls are pretty thin, so we could hear their power tools all morning.

Overall my class is good. The 6th graders had the hardest time keeping quiet. Lunch got pretty loud. I forgot to have table setup set up for lunch because the stove quit working and our new cook said they'd let us know when food was ready. So we ate lunch twenty minutes later than normal. I tried to fill the time knowing we'd be shorted on recess. Finally we were able to go, but when I got back to the classroom I realized we hadn't picked lunch seats so everyone was crammed together. I need to make myself a note to do that tomorrow... They got a shorter recess and longer math time, which made science go a little short and recess too. But we survived. Oh well, it's the first day, life is kind of crazy.

I have a bunch of goals for myself this year. One is to start getting ready for bed at 9:30 every night, wake up right away at 6am without hitting snooze (so far so good on both accounts!), leave school between 5-5:30 (not looking so good today), and go for a walk when I get home from work. We'll see how that one goes tonight. It's pretty windy out right now and it's supposed to storm tonight. So far, no rain yet.

I need to rest my voice. So far I still have one, but it's a little scratchy and I know I need to use it more this week.