Thursday, August 2, 2012

Now Picture This!

We walked into L's school, and they hadn't turned on the AC.

We walked into L's room, and the computer cords were wrapped around table legs and stretched so tight she couldn't open file cabinet drawers.  Yes, she was supposed to use her computers this way.

Next, we notice that three things L purchased at garage sales and on Craigslist were provided by the school.  She had asked last spring, but no one knew.  She would probably have to find her own.  !!!  

The kicker was when the principal came in and mentioned that enrollment for Kindergarten was low, so there was a chance L would be teaching 2nd or maybe 4th grade this year.  

And all of that happened in the first hour we were in the school.

Yes, L might have been in melt-down mode.  She had spent all summer working on Kindergarten curriculum, buying supplies for kindergartners, and getting things ready for her room.

Fortunately, a friendly librarian dropped by and told L to ready the room for either K or 2nd grade. (She'd be in the same room for either grade; she'd only change rooms if she had to teach 4th.)  AND they turned on the AC.

So we pitched in.  We sorted, stored, and covered bulletin boards.  We went to lunch and returned to do more.  (And they turned off the AC at 2:00.)

The one thing we didn't touch:  all the boxes of kindergarten curriculum textbooks and teacher supplies for science, math, reading, and social science units.  Each unit is boxed.  There must be 15-20 big boxes lining one wall of the classroom.  (L: "No sense unloading them if I'm teaching another grade.")

At the end of the day, the principal came back by and said she was almost certain that L would be teaching Kindergarten this year.  Evidently, a few more kindergartners enrolled today.  Whew!!  Wonder if she knew the h-e-double hockey sticks she caused L today?!

We left the building at 4:15.  She can't work late because they have to set the security system and the teachers don't have access. And she can't work on the weekends for the same reason. 

I headed home and left L to go back tomorrow to unload the curriculum into her shelving and storage, to put together her classroom library, to decorate her door and her hall bulletin board, and to finish her classroom bulletin boards.

She still has a ton to do.  I'm praying they turn on the AC and leave it on, that L finds a place for all the things that still need stored, and that she manages to get the rest of the room done without damaging her ankle any more.

Oh, did I mention that in order to use the bathroom, we had to use it in the dark?  !  Yes, the lights are on a key and won't be turned on until school starts.

Yeah, it was just one of those days.

3 comments:

Lisa said...

Wow! That is a lot for one day. I can't imagine not being able to access my room when I wanted to work.

A said...

Is she teaching in NYC? It sounds quite similar (minus the fact that AC must be central air units... That never happened - we had the good ole' window units if we had AC... But we also only had a few days of 3 digit temps a year.)

joyce said...

"H E double hockey sticks"!!. I had to think that one through!