Teacher Tired

Today was the in person Meet and Greet and New Family Orientation followed by a virtual Back to School Night. Traffic was normal (meaning really heavy) this morning, so I skated into the parking lot in time to hear the principal speaking over the intercom system, but not able to understand the message. I lugged five bags across the parking lot, up the stairs, and down the hall with about 20 minutes to the official start of the Meet and Greet. I asked the first person who said "good morning" to me what the principal had announced. He told us we would be having a trial run of our Back to School Zoom at 2:00pm. I unpacked the items I needed for today and pulled out my breakfast. I ran a gift for my partner teacher across the hall and made myself a cup of tea. I started eating bites of my breakfast while putting the finishing touches on my room before families began arriving. 

I needn't have rushed. Although several families came in at 8:00am on the dot, my first family came in after 8:15. The students and their parents came in staggered shifts this morning to drop off school supplies and allow the parents to see the classrooms - something that wasn't allowed last year due to COVID protocols. All of my new families were delightful and seemed delighted about the classroom space. Many commented on how bright and big the room felt. (I'm pretty sure all the rooms in the school are the same size.) It was a fun morning, but my feet were aching in my cute wedge sandals by the time my last family came through.

The Meet and Greet ended with the new families and staff gathering on the playground for an abbreviated orientation. The new lunch chef was showcased with free lunches for everyone in attendance. We got turkey and cheese wraps, a fruit and cheese kabob, and a chocolate chip cookie. It was yummy and mostly healthy. I might have to order lunch from the hot lunch program when it begins in earnest at the end of the month. 

While the new families were picking up their free lunches, the staff began chatting. There are several new teachers on staff, mostly in the K-2 grades. The new teachers were surprised and overwhelmed to discover that all of the veteran specialists were not planning to begin their classes until next week, even tough tomorrow is the first full day of school. Having worked at four different Catholic schools, all of which had different specialist start and end dates I had already asked our new Spanish teacher when she planned to start. She planned to begin on the first day and was surprised to learn there was an option to choose a later start date.

All of the new teachers were shocked to hear that they would not be getting their breaks during the first three full days of school. I encouraged them to tell the principal how they felt, but it wasn't clear whether they actually would voice their concerns. They are new to the staff after all. So, when the principal came near our little group to break down tables, I told him, "The new teachers just found out the specialists are not taking their classes this week and they are overwhelmed." My principal responded with, "What are you going to do about it." I told him, "I'm telling my boss." At least two email threads followed. The last I knew, one of the third grade teachers is asking the music teacher to find a sub for Friday so she can have her break.

I ate my lunch in my room, with my shoes off, and again taking bites as I ran around my room. Putting together gift bags for my students and setting materials on student desks was not complete as the time for the trial Zoom approached. The trial Zoom ran smoothly and the principal mentioned that he was in contact with the specialists to resolve the conflict that had arisen.

When the Zoom was over I had a hard time getting out of my chair to finish getting ready for tomorrow. I was more than ready for a nap. This is when I saw a text from my younger son asking me to get some mealworms for his bearded dragon on my way home. My exhaustion was so complete that I couldn't fathom an extra stop on my way home - on my way to my Back to School Night Zoom. Thankfully, a text to my older child effectively delegated the task.

Dinner was frozen pizza, lemon water, and ibuprofen. I started making samples of a project I want my students to start tomorrow while the oven preheated. I think my husband spoke to me, asked me questions, told me about his day. I'm not really sure. I was not fully functional, just doing the next thing on my mental checklist.

Back to School Night went relatively smoothly. The principal had some difficulty with the breakout rooms during the first session. I learned I had too many slides and too much to say tonight. But next week is Curriculum Night, with more time for the teacher presentations. Next year I will be better able to balance the information between the two nights.

A glass of wine and bed are all that are left for me today. Hopefully I'll rest tonight because today wasn't even the first day of school. That's tomorrow.