Back at it

Well this is the week before the week before school starts and things are getting back into gear. July is infinitely long and wonderful. August 1 comes and things absolutely fly. I came yesterday to the school to get some work done. About half the staff was here for at least  half the day getting started on work. There are things to put back after the cleaning was done.  New things to put up. Different furniture arrangements based on how many kids are coming into the class. And, of course, the prep. With the SK gov't continually changing /updating the curriculum there is never a year where everything taught is the same as last year. so there is always something new to be done.

Yesterday I moved things around, but not a lot. I spent a lot of time arranging my room last year and then in the last day before school I got a infusion of new students. With all the desks that  had to be moved into my room I had to rearrrange again and get rid of a ton of furniture or there wouldn't be room. I swore if they moved one more kid in we were going to have to start layering them like a London double decker bus.

I arrived to find one  new student added to my list. We shall see how much that changes before day 1. We used to have a fairly stable clientelle, but not so much anymore.

I ran into one of the mom's from our school yest while I was at the bank. She said she had driven by the school and had seen my vehicle there along with about a dozen more. She was surprised as she didn't know why we would be there before the 1st day of work. Unless you are in the system, I guess folks don't really understand the prep work. She is a lawyer so it isn't as though she is out of touch with hard work. I laughed and said "I suspect when you have a big case you don't just show up at the courtroom on the first day and start working then. Someone, you and /or your assistants have a boatload of prep work to do. She laughed too and I could tell she understood. Thank goodness I have a good rapport with many of our parents, or I wouldn't be able to say something like that without someone getting offended.

I also ran into one of our moms who is a childcare provider and she had a whole flock of her little charges at the library. I watched in awe as she had them all park their bikes, lock them and proceed in while she got the littlest one of out the bike stroller. I don't know how she does it - that organized with that many tiny ones.

I guess we truly don't  know the worklife of another unless we have worked that job ourselves.

I have been quite good and did not buy much for my classroom this year. I am trying hard to pare down. I bought some whiteboard markers. The school supplies black and blue. If we wish different colours that comes out of pocket. I also bought a bottle of whiteboard cleaner. We get one bottle a year out of supplies, which does not last the year. Supplies don't often come in until the second or third week of school and I am out, so I picked one up.

Last year they installed at projector in my room so I could hook up my computer and show digitally whatever I needed to. They will not provide audio though, so if I want to show anything with sound, I need to buy speakers (again, out of my own pocket). If anyone has any suggestions on brands/kinds of speakers, I would greatly appreciate it. I am naive in this area. I would need ones I could temporarily mount on the front boards, but take down easily should I be moved next year.  And ones that don't cost a boatload of cash. If the kids wreck them, there is no magical fund to replace them or reimburse me :-)

ok coffee break over. time to get my butt into gear

Source: http://shakingthemoneytree.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-at-it.html

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