Joy is a Choice

 

I am enjoying being back in the building more than I would have imagined. I am still concerned about the number of kids I have traveling out of state. One has come back after the CDC recommended quarantine for unvaccinated people, one is currently quarantining at home after out of state travel, and tomorrow is another student's last day before her family takes a Disney vacation.

It's a struggle to figure out how to keep the kids from falling too far behind after they come home, but before they are allowed back in the building. My school is not offering an online only or hybrid option this year. We have contingency plans for the circumstance of a COVID case, but not for family vacations with students too young to be vaccinated. The best I can do is have fully vaccinated parents pick up their work for them after they come home because 20 years of teaching has taught me not to send work in advance. Unforeseen circumstances have changed my plans literally every time I have sent home work ahead of teaching lessons in the classroom.

Anxiety over the Delta variant has waned with the daily routine of going into the building. It's a necessary change of heart to be effective at my job. Yes, I still see students with their noses uncovered or their fingers under their masks throughout every day. But they're kids, and they do respond to redirection.

Being back in the building has allowed for social interaction with my co-workers that I didn't know I was missing. I guess I did know I was missing it back in March of 2020 when schools in my area shuttered. But I was laid off from that position on the same day students were retrieving their belongings form the building and my emotions were a total tangle as a result. Staring online only last year at a school I thought I had left behind kept the emotional turmoil going.

But this year we began fully in person with eight new teachers in the building. And I am having frequent in person hallway interactions that bring me joy. As previously acknowledged, I have been known to "commit to a theme" with my attire. This year one of the math specialists has made it a point to do a "fit check" with me daily. It's something his daughter apparently does, naming where she purchased each clothing item. But his check in with me is really about whether or not my mask matches the rest of my outfit. Every time he does a "fit check" with me, it brings a smile to my face. So, of course, I spend time making sure my mask matches my outfit every day before I walk out the door.

I have another co-worker, who is new to the building this year. She's been on a 75 day self improvement program since before the school year began.  As far as I know she's only been drinking water. She is reading at least 10 pages every day from books that have some kind of self-improvement value, and has been adhering to a specific diet. I found out about her program during a staff happy hour at the beginning of the year and suggested we plan something for the day after her program ended. She stopped me in the hallway today and reminded me her final day is just over two weeks away. She wants my help planning something for her first day of being able to eat and drink what she wants at the end of the program.

Hallway interactions are fun. I am part of a community at work. Joy finds me on a daily basis in the hallways of my school.  I know joy is a choice, but it's an easy one to make when I know I have friends I get to see every day just by walking into my workplace.

First Full Week

 All of my students attended school on Monday and Tuesday this week - so far the only days I've had everyone. I had one student quarantining after a trip during the first week of school. Another one left on Wednesday for Hawaii. I took the opportunity with all of them in attendance to snap pictures for my Wonder Wall. I'm really pleased with the "thinking faces" the students put on for the camera. Students will use sticky notes to put questions in their thought bubbles related to our unit of inquiry throughout the school year.

During the two days I had everyone in attendance, I also had them finalize our Essential Agreements and sign them. The only one they seem to struggle with is "Follow all COVID protocols." I have students who have their fingers underneath their masks consistently throughout the day. When I see it, I have them use hand sanitizer, but I'm sure I don't see it every time. They also bunch up walking to and from the playground, but mostly when we're outside because inside the floor tiles are one foot by one foot, and they are good about counting squares to stay separated.

This week contained what I really hope was the longest day of my school year. On Tuesday school dismisses early for staff meetings. The staff meeting was held in my classroom, and though it was short by my principal's standards, it ended fifteen minutes before a two hour Archdiocesan level Zoom meeting where I ran three breakout rooms. I had time after that to heat and eat a can of soup in my classroom and throw together a slideshow for my lessons on Wednesday. Then I had another hour long Zoom for Curriculum Night.

On that same day I had this conversation with a student:

Student: Mrs. Conrow, when did you get a perm?

Me: Uh... never.

Student: Then why is your hair so curly?

Me: Because it's crazy like me!

It was a good day, but so very long. All in all I have had a great start to the school year and am really enjoying building relationships with my students. They are already comfortable enough with me to write responses on worksheets like this:

I know what I do matters in the lives of kids. I had a former student send me a letter in the mail this summer. (I knew I was leaving the school so I sent my thank you cards for end of the year gifts with my home return address.) It arrived on the day before my birthday. She wrote about being bored and begged me to write back, asking lots of questions so she could have something to do. I sat down and wrote her back, first thing the morning of my birthday and couldn't stop grinning for two days because she reached out to say hello. Since then we've exchanged a few more letters and each one I receive brings me joy. I wonder how much longer she'll be interested in writing to me.

A couple of weeks ago I had a parent of a former student reach out to me, asking me to write a letter her daughter who is going on a retreat in the near future. The letters were framed as "love letters" from people who have influenced the students. I taught the student fifth grade at least five years ago, and the family moved out of state shortly after that. I feel very honored to be considered someone who has influenced this accomplished young woman.

The other morning when I was getting my bags out of my car (the purple one) in front of school, a large and loud pick up truck stopped beside me. Two teenaged boys were in the car, former students. They were both grinning from ear to ear, and shouted hellos at me before continuing on their way.

I continually tell my current students that I'm a crazy old lady. As I have left schools I have accepted social media friend requests from parents of students. This gives me brief snapshots of the growth of their kids. Catching glimpses into the current lives of people I vividly remember as little, solidifies my sense of being an old teacher. Many former students of mine are starting careers, getting married, raising kids. It's very satisfying to know that at least a few of them remember and are glad that I had a small part in their journey.

First Day 2021

 I fell asleep last night after reading the news that one of my former schools has two classes going virtual due to COVID cases in the building. They started last week. Today was my first day. It was disquieting news to say the least. Thinking about the possibility of having a positive case in my classroom, or even building within the first two weeks of the school year was not something I wanted on my mind on the eve of my first day of school. At least I knew my classroom was ready for students to arrive.

Upon arriving at school this morning, I checked my email to find a message from a new family sent at 4:30am. They had decided not to send their child to my school after all because he had been selected to attend a "lottery school" within their home district. The mom thanked me for allowing her to observe my class via Zoom last school year and said she was impressed with the lesson she saw but they had still made the decision to try the other school.

Despite these two events, my first day was amazing. My first students didn't arrive until at least ten minutes into the staggered drop off. (Last year I had a staff member's daughter show up right as the window opened, so the extra time was a pleasant surprise today.) The class was attentive and enthusiastic. We got through ALL of my routines and procedure slides, which I hadn't thought would be possible and required me to come up with an additional activity to add to tomorrow's plans. 

My students made several comments about my classroom decorations. My personal favorite corner is the area where I put up a sunflower and a photo of Machu Picchu. I placed them side by side, high up on top of cupboards. When I glance that way I think about my grandmothers, now both deceased. One of my grandmothers was born in Kansas and loved sunflowers. The other one was born and raised in Cuzco, Peru and was a teacher herself.. She even wrote a Spanish-Quechua dictionary. These pieces of art make me feel like my grandmothers are watching over me and my students.

My students, however, are especially interested in the representations of Wonder Woman set around my room. For example:

"Mrs. Conrow, is Wonder Woman your favorite superhero?"

"Why do you like Wonder Woman so much?"

And my personal favorite, "Mrs. Conrow, you kind of look like Wonder Woman with your black hair and skin color."

I even had a student raise her hand near the end of the day to tell me she was afraid my earring was about to fall out. It was. I love that they're watching out for me!

Since our theme is Building a World of Joy, I asked students what brought them joy today as a means of spacing out their packing up process. Pretty much everyone gave an answer about lunch or recess. But the last student I asked said, "Being in your class."

Even though I wore flat sandals today I had to kick off my shoes after the kids left. I was limping barefoot around my classroom getting ready for tomorrow. I think I have blisters forming... perhaps sneakers are in order for tomorrow.

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.

'Twas the Night Before the Meet & Greet

Tomorrow morning is our school's Meet and Greet followed by the New Family Orientation. Our first day of school is on Wednesday. This puts us among the very latest schools in the country to start. I haven't heard about schools in other parts of the nation shutting down to COVID so that's encouraging. Of course, my husband jokes that's because I haven't been watching the news recently. I hope he's joking.

As expected last week was extraordinarily busy. I've been putting the finishing touches on my classroom: scrubbing desks, laminating and affixing nametags, putting down floor tape, and making slide presentations for Back to School, First Day of School, and Curriculum Night. I've created worksheets to hand out in place of the digital assignments we used last year and located some other documents I used to use on the first day of school when I taught fifth grade.

I did take a bit of time off this weekend. My family attended PAX West on Saturday. It was lackluster this year, with many fewer exhibits than previous years and very few vendors. Interestingly there was a lot of food for sell in the convention center, whereas in previous years I can only think of two places inside the convention that sold food, and their lines used to be crazy long. It wasn't exactly possible to maintain the current recommended three feet of distance inside. But it wasn't so crowded that we were uncomfortable being there. It was great to get out and do what we do as a family again. But we would not have been ready for the wall to wall people that used to attend PAX.

I am ready for tomorrow and only have two items on my list for Wednesday not quite complete. Students will come tomorrow to drop off their school supplies and see the classroom. We're going to have our Back to School and Curriculum nights virtually, so this is also the parents' opportunity to see the classroom.

The start of a new school year is an exciting time. I'm energized and looking forward to working with my new partner. Hopefully I'll be able to relax enough to get some sleep between now and the first day of school.

Late August

 Can you smell the laminator film melting together? Most of my former co-workers go back to school this week, on Monday or Tuesday. But this year I am headed into the before school teacher meetings, with the "meet and greet" where students drop off their school supplies on September 7, and our first day of school on September 8. So unlike most teachers nationwide, I'm still knee deep in back to school prep. And while I know that encasing paper in plastic is not great for the environment, I can't imagine this time of year without a heavy dose of laminating.

This weekend I created name labels on hands, suns, and squares with chevron stripes for the cupboards I'm using in lieu of backpack hooks, cubbies, and a magnetic restroom checkout system. I put together and printed a document with the daily schedule to hand students on the first day and a bigger picture of my Bitmoji mining a heart shaped gem for my hallway display tied to our theme of "Building a World of Joy." I typed affirmations into little squares to use in taking attendance (students will read the affirmation I leave on their desk instead of saying "here" during attendance.) All of those items ran through my home laminator this weekend. The list would more than double if I included everything I've laminated since the beginning of August.

I also created the annual welcome back postcard and a document to hand out at the meet and greet for students to do a scavenger hunt around my classroom. The latter is something I've never done, but my new partner teacher has seen at her own children's schools in previous years. I'm excited to see this new activity in action.

My partner teacher and I sat on a Zoom call for hours on Saturday finalizing our class schedule and creating our back to school presentation for the evening of the meet and greet. This was after my husband and I went to my classroom so he could set up my displays (external monitor and SMART board) and add a printer I was gifted on Friday to my school computer. He took the opportunity to also manage my cables. While he worked I affixed student names to cubbies and cupboards and set out some of my classroom decorations.

For the first time ever, I had made the decision to not purchase a paper lesson plan book. I stopped using one mid-way through last school year because my partner teacher and I planned via Zoom using a template I created on Google Slides. Writing everything into a paper planner was an unnecessary step that I decided wasn't worth my time. On Saturday during a conversation with my new partner teacher, she seemed excited about using a paper planner to plan together in person. Sunday morning I browsed Amazon to discover that lesson plan books are deeply discounted during the final week of August and prepped to ship. My new plan book arrived before the end of the day.

Sunday night I met up with a former middle school teammate of mine who just accepted a fourth grade position at the school where we used to work together. She was looking for advice about transitioning down to the new age group. Her students come back to school this week. We talked about the core subjects and what reading and writing skills to try to develop by the end of the school year. I promised to share some resources with her and we agreed to talk to our partner teachers about having our fourth graders become pen pals this school year. The visit left me filled with joy and ready to take on the school year.

Classroom Decor

 In the back to school season my Facebook feed is full of pictures of classrooms decorated by teachers who have serious Pinterest addictions. Everything is color coordinated and chosen to enhance the overall theme.  These posts used to stress me out until I learned to scroll past them. 

My room has never been Pinterest worthy. I have never selected a theme or worried about colors clashing. This time of year I spend time sitting in the middle of my room, thinking about room arrangement. This year we are required to have three feet of distance "nose to nose" between students. It's better than the six we needed last year, but still fraught with challenges. I have re-arranged my student desks at least four times and my teacher space twice so far this week. It's Tuesday.

I hung fabric on my bulletin boards this year based on the rumor that it won't fade and I will be able to leave it up for years, possibly until I retire. I've heard of teachers "inheriting" fabric covered boards who never changed them during the 10+ years they were in the room. I hope it's true because I wrestled with the stretchy fabric I purchased for hours over two different days. I chose stretchy fabric because I was worried about wrinkles, but it proved challenging to hang. Despite my best efforts, I was never able to pull on it evenly. I butchered the edges of the fabric (with regular scissors that have cut countless sheets of paper and laminator film) enough that I may never be able to change out the borders. I'm praying that the hundreds of staples I impaled through the fabric and then removed didn't cause any runs that will become visible outside of the borders.

Each year my school selects a theme that we use throughout the year, and most teachers use in their welcoming hallway displays. This year the theme is Building a World of Joy. My co-workers have focused in on "world of joy" on their boards. Apparently I went against the grain by zeroing in on "building." I plan to add my students' names on hard hats around the tools.

I helped with the new teacher orientation this year where I learned my school has a budget for flexible seating. My room was a middle school science lab right up until COVID shuttered schools in March of 2020. I snagged a couple of standing desks last school year, but don't have anything else that would qualify as flexible seating. I emailed the principal and facilities director asking what was available and expressing interest in a low table and floor cushions. My principal replied telling me to order a table and cushions. I didn't waste time ordering, but don't know if the new table will arrive before school starts.

Despite my best efforts to ignore such posts, I am in the process of creating a new poster for my classroom based on something I glimpsed in my Facebook feed. Someone was asking about poster ideas for a middle school math room that weren't cheesy. The comment that was visible to me as I scrolled past inspired me, and I hope it will inspire my fourth graders. When I was in fifth grade I decided I wasn't good at math. That internal perception (even though at the time I was in the "high" math group) plagued my progress in math through college. I hope to head off that kind of negative self talk in my students.

My "new" partner teacher quit on Friday, before she had started putting her room together. By the end of the day we had hired the person who student taught with my partner teacher last year. She and I met for drinks on Friday and went in yesterday to work on setting up for the year. She and I get along, she already knows the building and lots of the curricular resources, and even knows many of the new fourth graders from her time subbing in third grade after her student teaching was complete. I'm glad she was offered the job and happy to have her as part of my team.

Tonight I attended a happy hour send off for a co-worker who is moving out of state. It's been a whirlwind kind of August for sure. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I do know I will meet it head on when it arrives.