Heacaches can be disabling

I hadn't realized that my last entry was on Monday... but you understand, school has started.

Staying up until midnight did not help me out this week. I expect that between now and Monday, I will have to cut back on that.

The Open House on Wednesday went very well. I had arrived at school by 7 a.m., helped other teachers move into their classrooms for a couple of hours, and worked on getting our combined resource class ready for the evening Open House. The kids and their parents were happily filling the halls by 7pm, it was over by 8:30, and I was home by 9:00pm. It was a very long and tiring, but eventful day

Thursday, I helped a teacher move her things into her new classroom for another hour or so, then was able to unload some of my things from the car and put them into the closets of my mobile unit. I could not do more than that since the 4th grade teacher has to teach from her mobile unit until her new classroom is completed and passes the inspections (along with the nine or so other classrooms in that wing). When she moves out, I am moving in. That could happen by Tuesday... could.

A painful migraine is gnawing at my brain ... has been since yesterday. I'm thinking a combination of all that physical work of moving boxes, and middle aged hormones are the cause.

Even so, today the students returned. It was a very good first day in my new school.

Not only am I remembering teachers' names, I am now learning students' names. I've been looking at the names of my students for three days, reading their records, making lists, sorting them into their classrooms, trying to get a mental picture of where they will be each hour of the day. I had met a few of them during Open House... for the most part, they seem to be very much like the students I had at my former school.

I look forward to teaching them, to helping them realize that they have the power to change the course of their life. They will improve their reading skills, and that will change their life. They don't realize the importance of that, yet, and they may not realize it until they are long into adulthood. It will be what sets them up for success in all that they do. Not just the reading skills, but the realization that they have the power to change the course of their lives.

The headache ruled today, despite my desire to eradicate it. I took something early this morning, and again at lunch time, but no results. By 5pm, I couldn't think. After I gathered a few things to take home, I left, promising another teacher that I would return either Saturday or Sunday to do what I couldn't finish today. I have to be prepared for Monday, and as of this minute, I am not. I expect I will see many teachers playing catch up tomorrow.

Darn those headaches!!

But I do look forward to Monday, and especially look forward to the day the principal says "Teachers, you can move yourself and your students into your new classrooms!"

Then you will see some interior photographs ... before and after. I want to make some surface changes to add color and style to the building. I want to personalize it, make it mine.

What I like most about the building is that I have control over the room temperature. For the first time in years, I will be able to wear long sleeves and sweaters in the winter. In my former classroom, I didn't have control over the temperature, and apparently, neither did the school... technical and mechanical issues. My room was always hot, winter or summer. I could wear sleeveless summer shirts and lightweight pants all year long in that room. Even before the hot flashes started, I would feel  hot in that room. Complaining about it often resulted in the classroom getting extremely hot in the winter or extremely cold in the summer. So I said nothing during my last year there to maintain some kind of manageable range.

Before I leave the journal tonight, I have to tell you that I will be writing a very special entry this coming week. Many of you will read it with high interest. So keep coming back for the surprise!

Now I'm going to bed and hope to wake up in the morning without this nauseating, blinding headache. I can hardly keep my eyes open while I'm typing this. Goodnight, all!