When in Rome…
…one has to *learn* what the Romans do!
After this first week at school, I’ve figured out a few things about myself. Surprising, because I didn’t spend the past year actively asking myself questions about teaching, debating how I’d like to spend my free time, or building face-to-face collegial ties. I also didn’t anticipate how my unique traveling circumstances (I’m now working with my fifth principal in my fourth school district in my third state since 2003) would affect my mood, my tone, and my attitude when I was once again hired to teach with a school staff that for the most part (other than the new hires that joined me this year) has remained the same for a while now.
My first ten years of teaching were spent in the same school, at the same grade, with roughly the same colleagues. The nurse, lead custodian and music teacher’s positions changed (along with a new principal) but the rest of us were a long term team, quirks, beliefs about education and all. Teaching in a small community, any teachers who transferred in were already known to everyone, and those who left visited often. A comfort zone was created by this long term teaching commitment that I have not felt again since leaving Alaska. Comfort zones are more common for those who stay in one place longer than a year.
Easy to understand since I spent one year teaching in New Mexico, one year in Kansas, and took last year off while we were stationed in Texas. I haven’t been anywhere long enough to settle into a school’s routine, a staff’s easy banter in the lounge, a community’s familiar scenery. On this latest educational stage, many roles are the same (librarian, kindergarten team, cafeteria staff, administration, special education teachers, custodians etc.) along with some new characters (21st Century Classroom teacher, Educational Dome Theater instructor, Compass Lab facilitator), and the goals we all work toward achieving are student focused and are seemingly educationally sound. Contemplating my new environment, I’m reflecting on my own perceptions, not knowing anyone well enough yet to be able to guess with any certainty what, if anything, is running through their minds as they interact with me.
For someone with over a decade’s worth of teaching experience, a person who has taught in very ethnically, religiously, geographically and socio-economically diverse locations, I’ve been asking what must seem like silly questions this past week, to include “What do the alarms sound like at this school?” My principal was kind enough to let us listen to short bursts of the tornado alarms, but several colleagues have looked at me like I’ve lost my mind when I’ve asked for a description of the sounds since, as hearing those alarms and dealing with them is second nature for teachers who have been here longer than a year. Alaskan schools have fire alarms. No tornado alarms. No earthquake alarms, nada. Just fire bells. In the newer schools, there are probably some computerized alarms with flashing strobes, but that’s it. In the New Mexico school I worked at, there were no tornado alarms. No door alarms. No intruder-on-campus drills (I’m sure that has changed since). In my previous Kansas school, the fire bell and tornado alarm did not sound the same as they do here. Some of you have sirens, some of you have bells, some of you have “tornado watch” beeps that are different from the “tornado imminent” howls- and at least in this school, you have a new teacher who has not heard them before. Thank you for your patience, new colleagues. Hopefully you feel you have a new partner that wants to be as prepared as possible, so she’s asking.
One school had designated door holders during alarms, another stressed that no kindergarten student should hold the doors because they might get trampled, or get scared and be left inside, and another school insisted that all students file through the doors pushing the bar and not looking back, trusting that the next student in line would also be facing forward, arms at the ready to push the door open as s/he walked through in a quick but orderly fashion. Cafeteria routine? In Alaska, my students ate in the classroom. In New Mexico, they ate in the cafeteria which was in an annex building right next to ours. In Kansas School Number One, the gym and cafeteria were the same place. In Alaska, children had two choices, “home lunch” or “school lunch.” Same in New Mexico and Kansas School Number One. Here, my students have the following choices: entree one, entree two, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, bagel and yogurt, OR home lunch. Wow. And if you’ve taught kindergarten before, you know exactly how that routine goes during the first week of school: “I changed my mind, I want something else,” or “I thought I had lunch but this whole lunch sack is really filled with SNACK,” or “I don’t have to do the lunch chart because I’m not hungry.” Throw in a few “I brought home lunch but I want pizza now,” or “but I drank the three juices Mom gave me and now I want milk” and you can imagine that every so often, too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing.
Routines for duties, who walks whom back, who escorts students to buses, who picks up kids from the day care, who walks, who takes attendance and lunch count (I have an aide this year), who does copies, what hours can we be in the building over the weekend, and is it the class list on yellow, the red or green paddle flags or the class list on a clipboard we use for emergencies at this school? Does the principal want composite data sheets on students’ beginning-of-the-year screening assessments, copies of e-mail communication that *might* get tricky depending on how parents interpret them, and lesson plans on a weekly spread page or in daily list format? Do the staff members at this school view kindergarten teachers as teachers or glorified babysitters? Do we sit wherever we want to during staff meetings or do we sit at tables by grade level? How clique-ish are the teachers? I can’t tell you how I *wish* I could do a selective brain dump on the routines and need-to-know info I’ve had to memorize and learn from my previous teaching locations so I can keep this new set straight! Who uses the hallway potties and when since my classroom shares a single seat girls’ toilet and a single seat boys’ toilet with another entire classroom (talk about bad planning that someone should have caught when looking over the blueprints!), and though handrails are available down ramps we use to get to other parts of the school, why are most teachers encouraging their students NOT to use them while walking? I know, I know. I’ll “get it” this year. Time will give me the info.
Unless Uncle Sam decides to move us AGAIN.
Going Around in Circles
As organized as I try to be at work and at home, once our family has to relocate, the packers, however nice and polite they may be, seem to think it’s GAME ON.
Boys, I made you all lunch, three days in a row. Granted, the first day was pizza, but hey, day two was homemade sub sandwiches. We certainly kept the fridge stocked with Gatorade, water and soda so you wouldn’t dehydrate or run out of energy. We even pushed Otter Pops on you when the temp got unbearable!
So would you mind telling me where my dining room chair pillows are? How about half of my Somerset magazines (that were all in one spot when you started)? The receiver for our cordless phone? Because the way things are going, I’m thinking I’m not going to find these things until I open my SCHOOL-SUPPLIES-THAT-HAVEN’T-SEEN-THE-LIGHT-OF-DAY-IN-OVER-A-YEAR that *you* opened and “re-boxed” because of some packer/moving company policy.
Soon-to-be-teaching-colleagues, I’ll apologize right now for any outbursts of exasperation you might hear coming from my new classroom two weeks from now. It’s not you, and no, I’m not some psycho hose beast. I’ve just finally found my crochet hooks~ in exactly the furthest location from where they originated in our home.
Darn packers.
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My finger and toenails are happy this morning. After enduring two weeks without a mani-pedi, I gave in, removed what little polish was left on them last night, buffed, filed, and polished with a non-summer color. MUCH better now. Yes Bev, you read that right: my nails were in disrepair for two weeks! Nope, I didn’t go looking for an emergency bottle of polish for the chips and nicks either. Scary, huh?
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With the repairs and modifications we’re having to do to the rental, we’re stuck, shuffling boxes and piles around and around and around as we get each new area designated, arranged, and decorated. The upstairs is nearly done, but the only reason why is because the downstairs still looks like a bomb hit it. My desk is upstairs, along with most of my crafty stash that was stored beneath it in Texas… but it will be clutter free when what I hope will be my crafting area is set up and ready downstairs.
Now if I could only find my three remaining ribbon boxes.
Maybe I should have made the packers extra cookies. Lesson learned.
Everyone, Say “Hello!”
Hello House!
Hello beer bottle in the backyard:
Hello, duct taped gutters:
Hello, er…walkway(?):
Hello lawn decor:
Hello wasps!
Hello, “freshly painted walls:” (**cough, hack**)
Hello, garage door opener track that has been jerry-rigged so it’s cutting/gouging into the drywall each time the door is opened or closed:
And hello to you, exposed-fiberglass-insulation-in-the-garage-ceiling-that-covers-the-entire-area:
Hello water heater, propped up and tilted on cinder blocks:
Hello light boxes falling away from the ceiling, hanging on by only a few screws:
… a few things I’ve learned this past week…
*Renting over the internet might not be such a great thing, especially when the property manager posts photos online from THREE TENANTS PAST. Oh my, those photos were downright flattering. Flattering enough to make us want to rent. Surprise, surprise, surprise (go Gomer!) once we arrived.
*While it’s wonderful having household goods delivered the day after arriving at one’s new home, it’s not so great when a painting crew is hired the evening before to peel the paint from the walls (oh yes, they PEELED IT OFF IN SHEETS), patch, mud, sand, and prime, with painting occuring as the moving truck pulls up in the driveway.
*When speaking with the property manager pre-rental, don’t just ask “is the garage finished?” Ask things like “Is there exposed fiberglass insulation (rotted in places) hanging from the ceiling?” “Is the garage TALLER THAN MY HUSBAND?” or “DEFINE ‘finished.’”
*Make sure to keep receipts (okay, so I already knew this one, but it’s worth bringing up for other renters out there) for any and all improvements you have to do to the property, and by gum, make sure you negotiate an agreement that you can write them off of your rent each month.
*My definition of “house in MOVE-IN condition” is obviously different from other peoples’. My definition is better.
*And finally, it’s awesome having a great big tattooed Harley Tech/Soldier husband, because when the retired military property manager tells you “Well, you’ve lived in military housing before, this shouldn’t be bad for you at all,” SGM Grumpy can growl and assert his impression of what is and isn’t acceptable for his family…and oh my, what an impressive scene that is!
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Never fear, dear Readers! While we’ve had to deal with the not-so-fun elements of moving this past week, we’ve also met some pretty terrific people too: the painters on the paint crew, our gutter service guy (more on him tomorrow), the DISH installer (he stayed for dinner), and we’re looking forward to meeting the air conditioner repairperson sometime today. Oh yes, we’re really looking forward to that visit!
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It’s a few weeks before school starts, so check back in periodically as I’ll be posting some helpful tips and ideas about setting up your classroom, making lunch time easier for kindergartners who bring “home” lunch, and any other news from the world of public education!
Don’t Mind Me, I’m Just Jammin’ Out
… to very acceptable remakes as I drive with the family to Kansas!
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What are some of your favorite “versions?” Dear Daughter is crushed I haven’t included anything by Hilary Duff…*sigh*…I just couldn’t do it. My iPod will be shuffling through music from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s…new John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Goldfrapp, with Journey/Steve Perry as my usual reliable motivator. Of course America will keep me in the driving groove:
Saturday… Adios Texas!
We’ll miss the mountains, and some of the foliage:
But we will not miss the wind, the heat, and the dirt:
If all has gone according to plan this week, today is the day we begin our drive OUT of El Paso, Texas, toward our new home in Kansas.
Gracias Marty:
Music Memories
As you’re reading, I’m probably wrangling the toddler out of the movers’ way, or making lunch for the crew, or trying to coax Anni the Cat out of her hidey hole so that the movers can empty the furniture from the next room. Thanks to postdating my blog entries this week, I’ve been able to supervise the wrapping of my dishes, glasses, and other breakables while *you* get to decide whether or not to indulge in some of my awesome music memories from the Bordertown. The memories aren’t from this year, they’re from my childhood, 1970-1980. If the tunes get stuck in your head for the rest of the day, blame my mother… I do!
(Enjoy the fashion!)
Diana Ross and the Supremes, Where Did Our Love Go
Tommy James, Crimson and Clover
ABBA, Dancing Queen
Seals and Crofts, Summer Breeze
Mom let me listen to the good stuff!
Show and Share Thursday: Wedding Gift
If all is going well this week (I’m writing in advance, attempting to fill the queue with blog posts so you won’t forget me), I’m picking up my hopefully-completely-repaired truck today. Good thoughts, good thoughts, good thoughts, good thoughts (seems to be my mantra for every move)…
Before leaving the Bordertown, I wanted to finish up one last craft, a wedding gift. Alex’s family rented rooms to my husband years ago when he was stationed in Germany, and we met up with her (and met Aaron) quite by accident a few months ago here in Texas. Alex and Aaron are both soldiers, Alex in the German Army, Aaron in the U.S. Army, and both are into Harleys, like my husband. Yes, it was the motorcycles that brought us full circle, but we have enjoyed the humor, company, friendship, and German COOKING ever since we were reunited. Perhaps we can convince them to honeymoon in Oz!
Alex’s bike is black, Aaron’s is burgundy/red. It was fairly simple to figure out a color scheme for their collage:
Figuring out the layers took a little time, trying this configuration, that arrangement, shaking my head, maneuvering each element into the spot that worked:
A pretty bow, a little heart charm:
Arranging the photos (black and white seemed to work best):
Black velvet ribbon for the trim:
Ta da!
Since I caught Alex and Aaron playing up and down the aisles of Hobby Lobby one weekend (seriously!), I’m thinking they just might like the gift. If not, they’ll certainly enjoy the gift CARD TO HL!
(By the way, I used a 12X12 chipboard square for the base, decorative papers, a chipboard heart, burgundy Scrabble Tiles, ribbon, a small heart charm, brown photo corners, black brads, black velvet, and lots of hot glue for this project. Not pictured is the metal stand I purchased to prop the collage against so Alex and Aaron can display it wherever they like.)
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~We’re still packing, I’m sure. By now I might be in need of Five Tips for Tranquility (thanks to WishStudio Blogzine)…
~ So it’s not yet Christmas in July, but Mom, if you need ideas for what we’d like for Christmas in DECEMBER, how about some of this guy’s knitted creatures? Here’s his products page…
~Candice is making me wish my crafting goodies were unpacked by July 4!
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If all is going according to plan, we’ll watch the movers load up the semi tomorrow, and we’ll be relaxing in the hotel, getting a good night’s rest so we can start the drive to Oz on Saturday morning. Thanks for any good thoughts you mentally send our way!
Um, *Yeah*
I’m not a big fan of the word “yeah,” but it seems to fit right about now:
(Tuesday, Day 1 of the packers in our house)
Wowie, BARE walls!
Nearly-bare china hutch….
Hard to believe that the house used to look like THIS at Thanksgiving…
Dear Daughter’s room hasn’t been THIS clean in quite some time (don’t tell her I told you!)…
And finally, our bed (yeah, it’s king sized!), covered with our traveling gear:
Wednesday will see the office, toddler’s room, my classroom gear, and our storage closets all being packed, Thursday MIGHT see the start of the furniture being prepped with the boxes getting loaded onto the semi…and Friday evening, this home will no longer be ours.
By the way, dear tax paying readers, THANK YOU. It’s your tax dollars that house my husband and my family so he can do his job and we can all be together for the United States Army. While I take great pride in keeping each house we live in feeling like a home, we all do our best to take good care of each property out of appreciation and respect for you, our friends and family.
The Cat Knows
Our cat, Anni, *knows* something is up.
Dear Daughter spending a week with grandparents has created the extra clinginess, the extra pacing, and the extra meowiness from Anni that we’ve come to expect. Yesterday’s increase in visitors (friends came over to help my husband get the garage in order and partially packed), the constant running of the washer, dryer, and dishwasher (I like our things to be packed CLEAN so they can quickly find their new locations when we open up the moving boxes on the other end) and my extended stay in Daughter’s room (wow, teens are amazing packrats!) with a garbage bag in hand pushed Anni past some kitty breaking point. Immediately after we got into bed to get some much needed sleep, Anni jumped on the bed and proceeded to do her best to… trample us. One doesn’t usually associate cats with trampling, but I assure you, trampling is exactly what Anni was doing.
No, she didn’t want to be petted.
No, she didn’t want to be brushed.
No, her litter box didn’t need to be changed.
No, she wasn’t hungry, and her food and water bowls were full.
She *knows.*
She hasn’t seen it in almost a year, but she knows the cat carrier is around here somewhere, lurking, waiting, ready to pounce on her and bind her back into captivity for the two-day (or more) drive back to Kansas.
I caught her yesterday afternoon, preparing for battle, sharpening her no-longer-there claws:
Oh…boy…
…. for I am the (Floral) Binder Queen!
It was a quiet Saturday, nothing but the sound of the blade slicing through the pretty papers, and me muttering not-so-kindergarten-teacherish words under my breath each time I accidentally burned myself with the hot glue:
Now I have both “inspiration” binders finished, full of seasonal/holiday decorating and craft ideas, as well as the regular home decorating inspirations that help me figure out furniture placement and storage solutions each time we move to a new home, new floorplan, and new traffic pattern. The third binder is extra, just for me, though I have no idea what I’ll be saving in it just yet. Something about the binders matching/coordinating makes me smile. I’m also assured that their flowery femininity will guarantee that NO ONE will mess with them “on accident.”
The packers arrive next Tuesday, which means tomorrow and Monday will be spent working through the to-do list:
* baking “thank you” and “we’ll miss you” cookies and goodies for friends and neighbors
* cleaning all of my copper decor
* laundering all of the linens, spare blankets, sheets, etc. so they’re clean and closet-ready when we open the boxes in Kansas
* packing our travel suitcases, preparing car activities and snacks for the kids
* getting BOTH trucks back from the repair shops (oh yes, Dear Husband’s truck decided to have brake problems this morning)
* making sure all of our legal documents and necessary paperwork are in our family binder, ready to travel with us
* buying our travel stash of diapers, snacks, toiletries
* loading the iPod up with drivable and motivating music
* making sure the cat carrier is clean and ready for Anni
* TRYING to work ahead, posting blogs in the queue so you all don’t think I’ve abandoned Kindergarten’s 3 R’s while our household goods (and my computer) are in transit
* finding one small craft that I can bring with me to help me wind down each evening in the hotel while the kids take their baths (I’m thinking crocheting)
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~ Country French Antiques continues on with the flower theme (I mean really, did you take a good look at my binders? I seem to have absorbed a bit too much floral/romantic inspiration lately), sharing photos from Shoe-Fleur
~ I might just have to subscribe to small, after this Frida-inspired photo shoot (oh yes, more flowers!)…it’s an ONLINE magazine! Thanks to AllSorts for the link!
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With a name like Rosy Posy Confections, how could I *not* include this blog on my post today?
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I hope you are having a FABULOUS weekend!
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