And what a crazy day it was. Sorry for the lack of posting over the last few weeks. Needless to say I've been very busy getting things ready for today. Things still aren't 100% perfect at our new school but its getting there.
In my new job as department coordinator I find I've been making a lot of lists of all the little things that we need to buy and I need to get done. There was a point last week were I was grateful I have a fashion studies room on the first floor. I was able to escape the craziness of the department and just get some work done in quiet. Things are rolling along though and I'm still excited about my new position as well as the new school.
It's surprising the little things that you notice in a new building that you take for granted in an established one. I noticed at first break that the school was a disaster. There was garbage everywhere and I was quite flabbergasted that our students could be so messy. I spoke to our assistant principal after school and she said she was feeling the same way. That is until she started picking up trash and then couldn't find anywhere to put it!! It would appear that we don't have nearly enough garbage cans. I was a bit relieved because it hopefully means our students aren't quite as messy as I might have thought.
Another strange thing that I'm not used to is my students having chairs and tables instead of desks. I'm going to have to be diligent the next few days and make sure that they push their chairs in when they leave (or put them on the tables if its last block). Needless to say this didn't really happen today.
Our building is also so much larger than our old school. We all knew this and expected that we wouldn't see much of each other any more, but I don't think I really believed it until today. I still see the science and math people and in all honesty I didn't see many english or social teachers before (we were before and still are on different floors), but I see a lot less of teachers in passing now.
The most frustrating part of my day was, as usual, the photocopiers. After school our printer network decided that we couldn't print from our computers. So if you hadn't already printed a paper copy of document you couldn't photocopy it. This meant I had to come home and print an assignment I forgot about for tomorrow and then go back to school after dinner to copy it. Fortunately I don't live too far away.
Of course there were many good things about today, I still can't believe how quickly it was over.
I was so happy to be teaching in my new science lab for a couple reasons. First, I have a window!! Having taught for nearly 6 years in a room with no windows that was a big deal. I also have enough space in my class that I can walk around between and behind tables. I like to move around while I teach, but my old room made that impossible.
Most importantly, and best of all, moving has given me the opportunity to redesign and restructure my classroom. I've added things like a word wall and each table has a "tool kit" with necessary items. (Not school supplies but other things I'll explain in a later post)
I'm planning to post some pictures of both my rooms in the coming weeks and explain exactly what I'm doing differently with my setup. For now I'm going to end here. It's only 9 pm, but as I'm sure many of you know, the first day is exhausting! (And lets not forget hard on the feet! I haven't worn heels in a few months!). I think I'm going to have a nice bath and an early night. I hope you all had a great first day as well and good luck with the rest of the week!
