Summer break is over

I have 4 days left of Summer break. On Monday I head back to school. July 31. No one is happy about the encroachment of the school year calendar into July, but with all the other mandated and preferred "must haves" during the year, this is the way it turned out.

We have 4 days of pre-planning and then on Friday, August 4, the kids come. This year I'll be stationed in the second grade level and mainly in one second grade classroom for 95% of the day. I only have one segment in first grade, helping out another teacher who will be working with first grade students. My home spot where my desk is and where I put my purse and eat lunch etc. has changed too. I used to be at one extreme end of the school and now I'm at the other. This will be really convenient because my new spot is in the second grade area and it will save me a lot of time and steps during the day.

In the last 6 years I've never been stationed in one class or dedicated to one teacher as much as I will be this upcoming school year. I used to go somewhere different every hour. I traveled with the kids instead of the kids coming to me. Being with one teacher is like a marriage. The para-professional is a helpmeet, supporting and helping the teacher in any way that will help her be more effective for the kids. In being with one person all day, I hope I don't annoy my teacher too much! At least when I went somewhere different every hour the teacher knew that they only had to put up with me for a short time and then I'd leave, lol!

I'm looking very much forward to this year. I like the security of the job (as secure as these things can be) but also look forward to the small changes within the job because that means it never gets boring. I used to be dedicated to kindergarten, this year it will be 2nd grade. I used to travel the building, this year I'll mainly be in one classroom. I love the teacher I'll be with so that is a huge forward start.

Our school is really good and the Administration is excellent. It has a positive and friendly climate. It is a good place to work because of the collegial support and encouragement. The work environment is physically comfortable. The high-level professional quality of my colleagues and especially the Admins is all good. I am really blessed to have a good job with a steady paycheck, regular hours, and is fulfilling because it is with kids.

As a result of our good school's climate, we have a low amount of people requesting transfers away. Employees come, and they stay. We have historically had the largest amount of 20, 25, and 30 year workers in the system. The downside is that these long-term workers are starting to retire now. I'll miss them- they were good people. We were given funds to fill the positions for those who left. That, plus the blessing of receiving funds for some new positions, means that this year in our building we have ten new faces!

What I'll miss about summer break at home:

The warm glow of the kitchen curtains as the sun rises and filters through the lace

Savoring coffee slowly first thing in the mornings

The green grass outside my window

Hearing the birds in the morning, along with the Wayward Rooster (who crows a chortled crow at all hours not just morning!)

The quietness of home

Snoring kitties

Eating at odd times

Going to the bathroom whenever I want! (You teachers and mommies know what I mean).

Reading

Surfing the net all day

Naps

Not having to talk to or see people

Not having a schedule

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What I’m looking forward to at school:

Having a schedule

Seeing the children

Kids' bad knock knock jokes

Laughing

Helping children

Serving my teachers

Feeling useful

Being a good employee

Not being able to eat whenever I want to (phew I ate myself out of house and home this summer!)

Being part of a team that makes a safe place for children to come to and be loved

Actually earning the paycheck that comes through the summer

Seeing my principal and assistant principal do their work because they are so good at what they do

Coming home at the end of the day

Rainbow at dawn over my school a couple of years ago. EPrata photo

When Bookworms Party, and school

School started Monday without the kids, and Friday with the kids. It was a great day! They all looked so cute in their new dresses and haircuts, one 1st grade boy I saw came in wearing a tie.

No matter how old or young you are, the first day always hits us like a ton of bricks. I went to get my hair cut finally after school and then treated myself to a take-out dinner Chief Burger Club Sandwich and slice of homemade strawberry cake. The thought of more standing on my feet, cooking simply was out of the question.

Chief Burger is a little drive-in about a mile from me. It has been in that spot since the dinosaurs roamed, a little shack like Harmon's in Maine or Aunt Carrie's in RI or like any of the places Fieri promotes on his Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives show. It features a screened-in eating area with three picnic tables, and the ordering window and takeout window. That's it. Unpretentious, delicious, made to order real food. The cakes really are homemade, and a slice cost only $1. Here is their Facebook banner:

It was a delicious dinner and I was happy to be home and off my feet.

I like my schedule this year. I am working with first AND second graders in addition to kindergarten, for the first time. It's a busy day but it flies by and the bonus is that I get to work with kids in teacher-supervised groups in class a lot. This is what I love, working directly with kids (as opposed to being on hand in the classroom and not doing anything in particular until called upon by the teacher, or duties, or correcting/clerical.) Though I'm grateful for any employment. I need to sustain myself and that has not been easy as an autistic person. However, I'm proud to say that this is my 6th year as a regular employee and my 8th year including the years I subbed at the school. A personal best.

Today I wrote a while studied my bible, and read, but I'd thrown my back out this morning somehow and it hurts. I had wanted to vacuum, clean the tub, change the sheets, and dust, but I only managed to roast some cauliflower/potatoes/carrots, and do the dishes. And slowly, at that.

Nevertheless, I soldier on, reading and napping. Because, I know how to PARTY!

source: Grammarly

First day of school!

Today was the first day of public school in our county. I help in the kindergarten area, so the kids I see come in young, cute, and scared. Some weren't scared, though. They had taken the opportunity offered last week to come to three days of a mini-kindergarten. This is a new program that helps kids acclimate in advance to be ready for their first day of school. It's called KinderCamp. There are no other students in the building at "KinderCamp" and they spend three hours doing mini-rotations of all the things they will do during regular school day. It's a great program. The kids who participated are used to the school when they come on the first day. The parents are also relieved. And it helps the teachers, we know the children's names on the first day! Most of our kids took part, so that was good.

It's 91 degrees so needless to say I'm exhausted, grungy, hot, and overstimulated. I came home and shut the windows, and turned on the air conditioner. I closed the curtains. I took a looooong shower as cold as I could stand. I ate my Subway sandwich.

Phew!!!

Some of the cute things:

I saw one little girl in first grade who I knew last year in kindergarten. She was having lunch. I said,

Hi! How is first grade? Is it hard?
No! It is not hard. I tried it!

Another little kindergartener was waiting to be picked up in car riders line with her older brother.

I said,
"Well, you're going home now. You can tell your mom and dad about your day and all that you learned."
She tugged at her brother and said,
"Guess what? I ate a burger with ketchup on it and I like ketchup now!!

Now for a nap. I've got to put my feet up. Me old dogs are barkin'.

New lunch box

I got my new lunch box today! And this completes my back to school shopping.

I am excited about my new lunch-cooler. The one I bought last year was a mistake and aggravated me every day. It was really the only logical selection at the Dollar Store, all the others were family sized. But the one I got, seen below, was too big, too tall, too unattractive and too ungainly. I just take a bowl of soup or a sandwich, and maybe a piece of fruit or a granola bar. I didn't need all that height. It was a quarter inch too tall for the fridge and I had to mash it in there every day. And at the end of the day, every day, it got caught in the fridge rack as I pulled it out. The side pouch for a jug or drink was useless to me. I always drink hot tea at lunch, running the hot water thru the coffee machine in the room I share. The side pouch was in the way.

Old lunch cooler. Bad, bad cooler!

By May, the interior lining had torn up pretty good, and despite weekly washing, had accumulated crumbs and grunge in the seams. I think the $8 spent over the 180 days' use yielded a good return on investment. On the last day of school I happily chucked it.

Today I was pleased to see that there were different styles at the store. The one I ended up buying has fewer gee-gaws. No long strap to get caught on my center console in the car, like, every day! No foolish lace-up only thick enough to hold a spoon. No side pouch for a jug I ended up using in my locker in the bathroom for mouthwash, anyway.

Here it is. It's purple! As everyone knows for the back to school preparations, colors are everything.

The interior lining seems thicker and more insulated. I can fold it flat. The old one was bulky no matter what. It's simple, attractive, and three dollars less expensive than my old one.

So why care so much? I bring my lunch to school every single day. I have an appreciation for the simple and utilitarian. If I am going to use something every day and depend on it, I want it to be a pleasure to look at, handle, and use. My old lunchbox wasn't! It's like the perfect coffee thermos for the car or the perfect comb or brush. If it works we don't think about it how it enhances our day, if it doesn't work it is a constant aggravation because we handle it so much. So I'm happy to get a new lunch box and try this thing all over again!

And that is the story of my back-to-school adventure.