My classroom set-up continues!

This week is my last week before I go back to the district on August 28th!

R is at camp with his pre-school this week (free, so it’s a no brainer). L has no camp options so she is at home this whooooole week. He and I have so much time together this week, we are gonna be sick and tired of each other 😉

On Monday and Wednesday L and I went to my school to set up the classroom, and she loved it. She is at helpful age. Of course, the ribbon on the bulletin board was not stapled perfectly but, who cares?

We took everything out, arranged the stuff, moved books from one room to another, and made two bulletin boards. Even moved some light furniture!

Because it’s still early, technicians were available to help me with a printer problem. The two days of professional development that we have before the students come in can be so overwhelming. Everyone is running around; you cannot find a tech person to help you in case there is a problem because there are other 30 teachers with tech problems; the copier is backed up. I usually see colleagues stay at work super late those days. While that is a possibility for some people, I’d rather spread the work over a few days before the school opens and leave on time.

The physical classroom stuff is done. The printer works, the projector works. The seats are arranged the way I want them. The books are in their places. The bulletin boards are done, and my teacher space is ready. My teacher lamp is out.

Essentially, I do not have a lot of stuff, plus June Daria decluttered since she knew she would be doing September Daria a huge favor.

Other random news…

The will/estate is finally ready to be added to my “in case of death” folder that has been ready for a while. The will was the missing last piece and now it’s signed. Mark that baby complete!

L had swimmers’ ear last weekend, and she gave me a new hair style while we waited for the doctor.

Yoga. I have signed up for annual membership after I used up my new student monthly pass, and have gone Monday, Tuesday, and today. Once school starts I would like to go once on a weekend (in-person) and twice on weekdays (virtual, in the evenings).

Anxiety. I noticed that anxiety has been manifesting itself in a variety of ways: preparing, planning, cleaning, organizing, decluttering, and using Back-to-School time as an excuse to replace things (i.e. old pajamas and jeans that sadly no longer fit my butt). Remember how I went on a little shopping spree back in January? This feels similar. New energy and stuff. I can feel that I am not present but living in the future.

Another source of anxiety for me are the kids’ activities.

L: gymnastics + piano

R: gymnastics + Brazilian jiu jitsu

I also really wanted L to join a cohort of kids for a “Cooking and Yoga” class at my yoga studio. She told me she doesn’t want to so I guess that’s that. I wanted her to want to but “I only like cooking with you guys,” she said.

As a parent, you want to set your kids up for success, or at least have them try new things, and you are willing to pay for it, and take them there, and sit and wait, and wave, and smile and give them thumbs up when they look over at you. But all those activities slowly can chip away at your mental state, adding to the feeling of being busy and overwhelmed. Perhaps it’s a good thing L didn’t want the cooking and yoga class.

The book below was on my list for a while and I finally bought it for the kids. At this point in time, the kids are curious about the human body and they always ask me “What are intestines?” “Can I see what an eye ball looks like?” And, my favorite, “what’s inside your butt?” Instead of showing them images on my phone which can spit out god knows what images, I give them the book and help them find the information. Actually, the book is huge and so colorful, I’ve been spending time with it myself.

Lastly, I will leave with a few quotes from Four Thousand Weeks.