Movin' In to a New School Year!

Here we are with two weeks of school under our belts, just starting to feel like we might be able to pull this off yet again, after starting a little shell-shocked.

Here is some back-to-school good news:

1.  Delia was having the hardest time with the idea of going back.  Sixth grade was tough for her and she had lots of feelings and anxiety about seventh grade.  But, she is off to a great start with a bunch of good teachers who care about her and two weeks of success grades-wise.  She is encouraged.

2.  Ella LOVES high school.  She is already a part of the yearbook staff, the robotics team, a movie club, and a girls' Bible study.  Her most exciting news is that her 3 day audition for the fall musical just landed her a huge part for a freshman-- Dora Bailey, the funny announcer lady who opens the Singin' In the Rain show with a 5 page monologue!  She loves her classes, loves her friends, loves all the new opportunities and is actually currently at a football game as I write this.

3.  After one of the most stressful weeks of my life, which included a 24 hour move in to our new building, I can celebrate the gift that this gorgeous new state of the art facility is for our preschool program.  I am so happy in my classroom, and, though there are the usual challenges and exhaustion that come with training a new crop of preschoolers at the beginning of each year, I do already love my little students.

Here's a look back at my workplace's progress since May...

In May we got to tour the construction site and write scriptures and prayers on the beams.  I claimed this corner classroom already back then and was pleased that I actually got it!

We were told we'd be able to move in a week before school started.  But that did not happen.  Delays with PG&E and passing the city's inspection kept holding the project up.  Though I couldn't put any stuff in it till the last minute, I was able to walk through my empty, blank-slate classroom.  I averaged about 3 hours of sleep each night that week, running to-do lists in my head or actually getting up to sketch floor plans.  Yes, I know.  #typeA #controlfreak #OCD

We were then told we could move in TWO DAYS before school started, BUT THEN we failed another inspection, so that was also DELAYED!  This jumble of furniture was actually how my classroom sat TWENTY FOUR HOURS before we opened the doors to students.  ALL THE CAPITALS are necessary to convey our extreme anxiety about this situation.

But, all the teachers, who had been raring to go for a whole week, put in a super long day with lots of overtime hours the day before school started and we got our entire new building unpacked and ready for students.  The new space inspired me to make a lot of new wall decor (in the days that I was grounded from working in my room), and I'm just so pleased with how everything turned out.

The space is bright and colorful and organized and exactly what we need to efficiently run a day of preschool.  My classroom is my second home and I'm just so happy to have a place I love being in so much.  

We even put together a photo booth for our students (and us!).  The mood around work these days is jolly and joyful.  Everyone's spirits seem to be lifted by the new environment.  Yes, we are still waiting for towel dispensers, and window shades, and drinking fountains, and a copier.  We're still learning how to open the doors without arming them with a scary man voice alarm shouting, "INTRUDER!! TAKE COVER!!" resounding through the whole building.  But, at this point we've just had to make it work and laugh.

We're gonna go ahead and bet that the 2019-2020 school year will be a good one!