Cat's Litterbox

Music: "Get it Shawty"- Lloyd
Mood: Exhausted

What a long week!!!

Monday I went back to work and I was super excited to get into my classroom and start setting it up. Katie was there when I first got there and she helped me bring all my stuff into my room. She's such a sweet girl!!

Monday I spent the whole day working on my room. Setting everything up, organizing and making it look cute. At 10am on Monday I went to the teacher's store with Katie, a girl named Kristen and Lisa (Lisa is on my 4th grade team). We were each given $100 for anything we needed for our rooms. I got a plan book, stickers, some frog stuff, award stuff, a writing book and a frog number line.

When I got back to school I got most of my posters and stuff laminated and cut out. I went to lunch with Lisa, Katie and another person on my team named M.E. (she goes by ME). I stayed until 6:30 working on things and decided to head home.

Tuesday I got to school at 8am and worked all day. Katie had a thing to do at East Garner HS so it was just me, Lisa and M.E.. We went to lunch together (I had Moe's for the first time and was delighted)! Steve came by to help me with some things in my room and it was VERY nice of him. He got to see my room coming along and helped put up posters and my number line. He went home and I stayed and worked until 6:45 and got my room just about done.

Wednesday was the 4th of July. Talk about a sad day for me. I was depressed and cried off and on all day. My dad called me and invited me to come up to the cabin. It was funny and he was joking around, but when I hung up I started crying. I am so homesick and I miss my parents so much. My mom always said that homesickness and seasickness were two of the worst feelings in the world. I've never been sea-sick, but I just have this ache inside me and I yearn to see my parents. I worry that when I do see them, it's going to be all the harder to say goodbye.

Anyway, we didn't do anything major. Steve grilled us hotdogs and we had baked beans and potato salad for dinner. It was similar to what I'd be having with my parents so it brought a little comfort of home.

Thursday I had my teacher meetings ALL DAY. I got there around 7:30 and had a very brief time in my room to work. I had the new teacher meeting from 8:00-11:30. It was very nice... when I got to the media center, they had folders and binders with our names on them and a jean shirt that says Oak Grove staff. It's very cool!!

The new teacher meeting finished and then I went to Wendy's with Katie. We got back just in time to head to the ALL STAFF (like 50 people or so) meeting. We had introductions and then played a few team-building games. That meeting went from 1:00-4:00.

When the meeting ended I stayed until 7:00 working on more things. I still didn't have copies made for "Meet the Teacher" or lesson plans done for Monday. I went into panic mode.

This morning I got to school around 8am and tried to get as much done as I could before 8:30. Not a lot was done. At 8:30 the 4th and 5th grade teachers had a breakfast together. It was SO NICE!!! Each person brought something (I brought plates, cups, bowls and napkins) and we had a little potluck.

At 9:00 I had a meeting scheduled with the school nurse. She's kinda kooky. I haven't met a school nurse that isn't a little kooky yet. (LOL). She informed me that I have two students with allergies to eggs and egg products. I was trained on how to use an epi-pen (which I already knew from last year in 5th grade with Megan P.'s allergy to peanuts).

I was able to work in my room from 9:30-10:30 and then the 4th grade team had a meeting. We talked about field trips and curriculum stuff. At 11:30 I went back to my room to attempt to work. I went to Subway for lunch at 12:30 and then was back around 1:15 to work. I made copies for Meet the Teacher and tried to finalize things in the room.

Around 2:30 parents started to show up... but interestingly enough, Mrs. Turner (my principal) didn't let them in until 3:00 on the dot. Meet the Teacher went from 3-4 and it was DONE by 4:00.

I got to meet 14/24 students and their parents. I was overwhelmed by the support these parents gave. Most welcomed me to NC and were very nice to talk to. I had one dad that was a little confrontational... he assumed that I had never taught before. I didn't back down and answered all of his questions and I was quite proud of how I handled the situation!!

The kids were super cute and very tiny! I am so used to 5th graders!! It's odd too because they're in July of the summer before 4th, so they're still tiny like 3rd graders.

I had just about every parent sign-up to volunteer in my classroom. I had one mom ask if she could be the "room mom." I wasn't sure what that was... apparently each classroom has a "room mom" and that person coordinates the other parents to volunteer. Basically, I work with the room mom and she delegates to the others. It's VERY interesting.

The best was that right at 4:00 Mrs. Turner came on the announcements and thanked the parents for coming to the school and to finish their conversations. She wished them a nice weekend and said that we'd see their kids on Monday. Five minutes later, she came on again and said that all parents needed to vacate the building. THEN she came to each room and if there was a parent, she asked them to leave, and if there wasn't a parent in the room, she turned off the lights and closed the door. (She asked if we could work in the dark for about 5 minutes.)

So... that was my week. This weekend I plan on lesson planning and getting mentally ready for Monday. I stayed until 6:45 tonight. My room is DONE and ready. I just need to get my plans figured out!!

Until next time..

>^..^<