School, School, School

The first week of school is done (angels singing) and I'm exhausted. Things have nicely fallen into place at school though. My class schedule and subjects have been figured out, my supervision has been assigned (it is supremely cushy) and....... I'm working with two terrific teachers.

That, my dears, is a VERY big deal. You see, I got out of teaching three years ago because - among other things - I just couldn't take the negativity anymore. The griping and complaining about what parents were or weren't doing, the demands placed on us with extremely limited resources, the hour long staff meetings where people argued about whether or not we should demand silence in the halls, the complaining about too much professional development or not enough professional development, and the people unwilling to try things a different way, but hating the way things were being done. This time I told myself I wouldn't get involved with that stuff. I would do my job and go home. But it looks like it's going to be fine. Yes, they complain about decisions the administration makes, but they go and talk to the administration about it or they say what they don't like and then we move on. We have meetings, we decide things together and then the things get done.

The classes I'm working with are great too. I've been pleasantly surprised. There doesn't seem to be a single 'hard case' in either classroom. It's unbelievable. There are kids who talk too much or are a little immature, but not a single child has refused point-blank to do what I've asked them to do or freaked out on another student and no one is bouncing off the walls unable to control themselves.

So, it's shaping up to be a very good year school wise. Home life however is still a shambles.

I'm not used to teaching and having responsibilities at home. I didn't have kiddies when I taught before. Now I have two of them and they have to be picked up from the babysitter's on time and they need to eat supper at 5:30 (I can't just keep working until 7:00 because I'm on a roll) and they need Mama to talk/play with them once in a while (even if she still has another 2 hours of work left to do on her yearly plans). It's been really hard to not have these unlimited blocks of time to get things done. I'm sure it will get easier once I've got the major part of my planning done and I just have to prepare a few things here and there for the next day, but at the moment I feel all over the place. My planning for work is not up to snuff, but I haven't been available for my kiddies either. Pulled in two directions, but not doing either one very well. Thank god Jean-Pierre has been around this week otherwise we'd have nothing to eat in the house and I'd be dead.

I sure do miss the quiet mornings and easy-going days of being at home though.