School is NOT Out Forever...

With grad. school continually in my thoughts, my teacher neurons have been firing since the middle of July. What's keeping me from full-out panic about this year is that I'm going into my sixth year of teaching. I'm also at the same school I was last year, teaching the same grade. Right now, I'm mostly freaking out about the massive amounts of clutter that I somehow managed to transfer from my old classroom to the current one. And, school starts in less than three weeks. And I'm feeling a little restless. You know what that means, gentle readers; time to bite off more than I can chew! With balanced literacy and the NCLB ringing in my head, this year promises to be one where I really want to do everything well. This means that that I will start off strong, fall down around Thanksgiving, and pick up again half-heartedly in February, only to charge through to the end of the year. Throw in a new phonics program? Bring it, Senoras Fountas and Pinnell! Book study for the whole school? I eat you for breakfast, Debbie Miller! Everyone wonders why I have no time to workout? It's pretty much because I destroy myself in workaholic fashion in August, log in muchas horas in September, and then pray that I make it 'til Winter Solstice.

Don't you just put up cute bulletin boards and learn about being friends?

Frothing, twitching.

Anywho, I went in last week, got some stuff organized. Went in Wednesday, started throwing/giving things away. The previous teacher in my classroom told me she left a bunch of books that she was going to throw out. I told her "NAY! I will save these books, because I hate to see books pitched." So in June, I went through them and out of the 500 or so books she left, I got rid of about 60. I went through them again yesterday, and kept about 80 of the original 500. When the going gets tough, the tough get Fly Lady. Google it, trust me, it's funny. And now, tomorrow, I'm going in, and this time I'm bringing back-up; The Filing Fairy. She will help me, and make my life easier, so I hope.

It's August fourth, and schools has started. Three months off MY ASS. :)