Can I get a "TGIF"?

It’s been a while since I have fully appreciated the sweet relief of a Friday evening.

Last year, it was akin to feeling like the elephant that has been standing on your back all week finally lifted his giant hoof up one tiny yet somehow liberating inch. There was still so much to be done, but the beauty was that nothing had to be done right away. You could come home and collapse on the couch for a solid 20 minutes before you started to feel guilty about not grading that stack of papers that had been looming all week. By January, Fridays were absolutely necessary for preserving sanity. And by May, they became the benchmark by which you measure the rest of the year: “We just need to get to Friday, and then we only have 2 more weeks!” They were that last shred of hope when you felt so close, yet so far, from that glorious last day.

And then there’s summer. When the days of the week really only determine which reruns you catch each night and, for me, how many miles I had to run to keep up with my training schedule. And even then, Friday just meant I was one day closer to my dreaded long run on Sunday.

Today, Friday just felt like the logical next step after four days of long hours and hard work. It was about time. I was tired, both physically and mentally, and it just didn’t seem right to have another weekday. So, Friday swooped in and rescued me. We celebrated the end of the week by ordering pizza, but I think we were all really just too tired to have to cook. I wish I could come up with some clever analogy for my second year, but I’m too tired to think about it. I will say, though, that the elephant hasn’t found me yet. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Coming off of a 10 day mini-vacation (thanks to five, I repeat five days off due to Hurricane Irene and a holiday weekend), this week hit me like a ton of bricks. It was only four school days, but they were the first four days in a row since May, and in a weird way I felt very out of shape. Remembering 100 new names and faces, standing on my feet for 8 hours a day, using both my teacher voice and my teacher stare, keeping children focused and under control despite a ridiculous amount of stimuli and hormones, and molding them to be the “extraordinary” students that I know they can be. I forgot how exhausting it is.

Oh, and hey, in case I wasn’t already tired enough, let’s add another two hours to the day by coaching volleyball. By myself. With 20 girls, 6 volleyballs, and a net that’s 4 inches too short. Thank goodness it’s the sport with the shortest season. As much as I loved playing volleyball, coaching is a different story. In theory, it sounded great. In reality…not so much. Only because I never realized how difficult it is to teach someone how to play a sport, especially when most of those someones aren’t…shall we say, athletically inclined? I get so frustrated, not with the girls, but with the fact that I really don’t know how to explain the appropriate way to set the ball. You just…set it. I don’t know! And running practice with one coach and 20 girls is not easy. Thank goodness it’s middle school and we’re not trying to defend a previous title or anything. Hopefully I’ll eventually be able to find some fun in it. But right now, it’s just one more thing on the list, and one more reason I’m grateful for Friday.

Here’s the great thing. I know it’s only been six days, and maybe I’m crazy for saying this so early. But I love my job so much more than I did even 3 or 4 months ago. It may have something to do with the fact that I’m actually able to do my job right now, as opposed to spending half of each class period dealing with kids fighting or “joaning” or throwing things across the room behind my back (and on the worst days, throwing things AT me). Now that I’ve got it figured out about 1% more than I did last year, it’s so much more enjoyable. I know teaching is one of those careers where you can always get better, and you can never have it figured out, but I’ve definitely got it down a whole lot better than last year.

Have I mentioned how much I love the women I work with? They threw me a surprise birthday party during our planning, complete with snacks, drinks, cake, and ice cream, since we didn’t get to celebrate on my actual birthday grâce à Hurricane Irene. It was nice to have a breather and socialize with someone other than 12 and 13 year olds, and especially sweet that it was in my honor. Any excuse for a party during planning, and the 7th grade team is all over it.

It’s way, way past my bedtime, but some exciting news (more on that later) and an overdose on belgian chocolate wafers have kept me up long enough to get in a new post. Be on the lookout for a post early next week about the 4 new additions coming soon to the Ponderosa (don’t worry, no children or pets involved). Oh, and see below for a few pictures of my updated classroom.



Just some of the supplies from my generous family and friends, organized in my cabinet. The green cube is FULL of stuff, and behind the buckets are stacks and stacks of pencils and pens. Plus stacks of paper above. You all are ridiculous! (PS, I've gotten two more boxes since--thanks Becky and Amanda!)







This poster is currently sitting on the floor, after hours of hard work, because NOTHING sticks to those darn cinderblock walls. Someday i'll get it back up there.