Tuesday, July 19, 2011

School Countdown

It's that time where my teacher friends and myself have started the (DA DA DUMMMM) "How many more days do I have to sleep in and stay in my pajamas" countdown.

Lately, the title of my countdown has been "Crapola-I-have-too-much-to-do-for-school-before-I-go-back-to-school" countdown.

I hung out with my sweet friend Lindsey last night and we started making my "list." At first my list consisted of basic school stuff I want to accomplish for my classroom. Then, the more we researched stuff online I was adding new ideas and concepts and drawing pictures all over my list.

Lindsey then made me review my list, throw it away, and start over. I had too much going on on my paper that I knew I would never get to. She is forcing me, thank goodness, to be realistic about what I want to really accomplish or need in my classroom. I found some new reading strategies I want to implement; a new math game for my center I need to prepare; some seats I want to construct; rearrange my classroom and my enormous retro plaid couch...Will I get these things done? Probably. Will it be before the first day of school? Um, probably not.

As teachers, we learn to simplify and come to terms with what we really can accomplishn for the school year, especially elementary school teachers. As for myself, the last few days I have been reflecting on last year (what worked and didn't work) and if I am going to do it again. I find great ideas and classroom management strategies that I want to create, use, and decorate immediately. But it's not always that easy or simple minded. I do overwhelemed and sometimes have to close my pretty notebook, shut down the computer, and just forget about school, which is pretty darn hard when I am this close to starting back to work.

But like an excited school kid that is getting the new bookbag, tennis shoes, and freshly waxed crayons, I do get excited when I see a penny ad in the newspaper and can smell freshly laminated paper. Even as I look down at my list and make mental notes of what I should do first to get ready for school, I am brought back to the current date and realize that I still have a little bit of summer vacay to enjoy.

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