Welcome to CSI!

I haven't mentioned school very much since June because my mind and heart have been in the moment of those two months, June and July, otherwise known as summer vacation. Count only half of June, though (our last day was June 13), and only two weeks of July (VBS took up those two weeks... I enjoy VBS, but it is not part of vacation, you know?).

                             

Before: The before photos were taken two weeks ago. I was in cleaning and organizing mode. Lots to do to get the classroom ready!

If you've been reading my journal for at least three months, you are probably aware that my teaching position was going to change in the fall. A wonderful opportunity presented itself, through a very rare transition, when another teacher moved away, leaving her position as the art teacher open.

It seemed to her and to me that synchronicity was at work in our lives, although we didn't know it until near the end of the school year. Things going on in her life coincided with where I was in mine, and our paths crossed.

It might have been simply being in the right place at the right time, and it could have been about listening to one's heart and intuition. It is definitely about searching for what is true, for what triggers the passion for life, and seeking the love of one's heart. Also, it is about knowing the people one works with, being aware of their skills and talents, and being willing to make changes, and about the support one gets from her colleagues, about receiving encouragement, and being given a gift, a chance to start something new. Again!

                                    

Before: Student desks and chairs are piled in one corner, completely blocking the computer corner. The carpets had been steam cleaned by this time. I didn't know where anything was.

Well, I started working on getting the classroom ready July 31, taking my time, working a few hours a day. I had to find out what materials and supplies I had, where they were. I reorganized everything. I left no corner undusted, no cubbie untouched. Every shelf, box, bucket, tub, or basket was emptied and cleaned out. When I was through, I knew where everything was. When a teacher walks in now and asks me for any material or art supply at all, I know exactly where to find it. I am so pleased!

                                   

Before: So many things had to be boxed before school ended, and put away. If you are not a teacher, you may think we just walk away from our classrooms after we put the chairs on top of the desks, and lock the door. Nothing could be further from the truth. Walls have to be stripped, desks emptied and cleaned, and everything taken off the floor and put away neatly.

This week, all teachers had to report to work for our workdays. Students start back on the 27th. Tomorrow is our Open House.

This afternoon, as I put the final touches on the bulletin board in the front lobby of our school, I couldn't help but compare the combination of feelings zipping through the air to the backstage of a play about to open for its first performance of the season.

Teachers who had finished their rooms were decorating their doors and bulletin boards. Colored paper, scissors, tape, staples, and glue were the supplies of the day. A last minute dash to get that extra desk and chair, or a work table, or to remove items we finally decide we must part with. Schedules were reworked, student roles considered, and books set out on desks. Lots of laughter in the halls, the phone ringing off the hook in the front office, new students coming in with their parents to enroll, the laminator creating saunas out of our workrooms, and the brand new copy machines getting a good work out.

Everyone and everything was working 100%... and then some.

Parents and students will be here for Open House and all will be in tip top shape! Electric!

                                   

Before: One last before shot before you see the video, made just yesterday so you can see what my classroom looks like today! Remember all the photos you just saw. The video is about 2 minutes or less.

                                      

Thank you for visiting my classroom today.

I know most people catching my video will think "boring!" but I'm counting on the 15 or so who might find it interesting. BTW, I did not make the masks featured in this clip... Marie, the former art teacher whose position I have stepped into, did. She has a natural talent for art and teaching. I wish her good months ahead as she faces her own new position as a 2nd grade teacher in the mountains of North Carolina. Thank you, Marie!

Tags: CSI art integration, getting ready for school to start, classrooms