Spring Cleaning

I have now officially started to pack up and clean out my classroom. You may ask why, and I will simply tell you that I must be crazy! In December, talk in the middle school was about lots of changes with scheduling and teachers. The talk was about allowing teachers to specialize by teaching two subjects in a day instead of six. This is a great idea! However, my masters degree is in reading and mathematics and I have committed to a science grant for the next 2 years. I couldn't even imagine not using all the knowledge that I have paid for with time and money. I got this crazy thought that I would be teaching 4th grade next year...well it was a crazy thought so I put it out of my mind! Well the crazy thought kept coming back. After several weeks, I decided to email principals and ask about openings. At that point there were no 4th grade positions open, so the thought left and it didn't come back for several months.

In March I started getting that weird feeling again. This time it was TOTALLY crazy because the teachers and principals at the middle school had decided to keep the schedule the same - no changes. Well I finally decided to talk to the principal about these feelings and he was great to offer me anything and everything to keep me teaching at his school. After several days of praying and a visit to the temple, I decided the best thing would be to stay at the middle school. The day that I planned to tell the principal, he came into my room to inform me that the schedule would be changing, and to tell me that I wouldn't like it. He encouraged me to call the same principal I had previous contact with. I proceeded to tell him that she didn't have any openings - and he kindly said, "Well, you might want to try again."

So I tried again. She still didn't have any 4th grade positions, but was willing to make some changes so I could join her staff. Again, the thought left my mind and I started searching elsewhere for jobs. After a few days, I received a call from Burton Elementary offering me a 4th grade job. I couldn't have been more excited and happy! I thought I was at my last string of options and then this showed up out of nowhere!

I accepted, and now I get to start packing up ALL my goods and junk! I guess you don't realize how much you have until you have to move every bit of it! I am excited to join the staff at Burton Elementary. They are great teachers, and I have a lot to learn. I, at the same time, hope they are ready for me...I am a young, nontraditional teacher with lots of unique and sometimes crazy ideas! But I love it! That's what makes teaching so enjoyable and exciting - I never know what I will come up with! : )

So here goes spring cleaning in a huge classroom - trying to fit all that junk into a classroom about half the size! And trying to do this with students around so I don't have to pack all the boxes myself. It's a good thing that I have two papers and six days until I can say I have officially EARNED every inch of my masters degree!