No, I did not cry in my cubby this year

For those of you who are wondering, no, I did not end the first day in the fetal position crying.  Quite the opposite, actually.  I had a pretty awesome three days, although my kids are still in the honeymoon stage (never got one of those last time).

Some funny stories from first three days of school:

• "Why is it so important to walk in the hall?"
  "Because it's not very lady-like to run."
  
• On a student survey: If I could be any animal, I would be not be an animal_______.
• Making a counting book about things you'd bring to a picnic: "I'm bringing five vacuums cause we're all probably going to get dirrrrrrrrtay."
• And, the highlight of my day, a little boy bopping in his seat and singing this

Even though he didn't do the Lil Wayne part it still really got me in the weekend mood.

Misunderstood.

I was packing my lunch when I noticed a letter for me on the counter.  The return address was "Mommy Fiorillo."

Oh my gosh!  I thought.  She planned it to arrive the day before the first day of school!  It must be a letter wishing me luck.  It must be a letter telling me what a caring and good teacher I'll be this year.  It must be...

A dental bill?

"Sari, please submit this to your insurance company.  Thanks."

Come See How Good It Looks!

Pictures of my classroom!  First day of school tomorrow, so no time to actually talk due to the nervous anxiety/nausea. Hopefully my kids will be so mesmerized by its beauty they won't do anything wrong.

My word walls

Calendar and behavior chart

Carpet area

Themed bookshelf

Wall of work... and computers

From the door

Quickie

Get your minds out of the gutter folks, this isn't THAT kind of quickie.

Remember the Sunday night anxiety?  It's back.  I bought myself a lavender candle in an effort to relax (an idea from a friend's blog about her classroom approach this year), but I have a pretty good feeling it won't work as well as I want it too.

My first week back (really, it's been two weeks) has been HECTIC, in a word.  Working from 8 to 4, eating dinner, and then studying wildly entertaining LSAT PrepTests until 10:30 is, surprisingly, a pretty tiring lifestyle.  On Friday, I managed to keep myself up until 10:30.  Then I slept past noon.  So much for having a social life this year.

The hard work is paying off though.  My classroom looked great for Open House on Friday (pictures to come) and I got to meet seventeen of my twenty-two kids.  Most VERY cute and excited for school to start.  I have two more days to prepare and then BAM.  First day of school.  I'm just hoping I won't end up in the fetal position at the end of the day again.

For all you first year teachers out there reading this (probably only like one of you), don't worry.  The only real important thing about the first day is keeping the children alive and getting them on the bus home.  And you even get a little leniency as far as getting the transportation one hundred percent accurate.

That's all for now (I told you, QUICKIE).  More later.  Hopefully before Wednesday.

Reinvigorated

Official second-year TFA programming began this week.  I was not ready.  I forgot what it was like to work 12 hours a day for a whole week (I was in my school too) and I shouldn't have been surprised when I found myself asleep on a Friday night before 11:00.

BUT- and I know this is cheesy, but bear with me- I'm feeling like I should change the "Fear/Dread" portion of my teaching graph to "Reinvigoration."  Which spell check just told me is not a word... oh well.  The program staff in Charlotte is very "excited" (a much overused adjective in this region) to be starting this year off on a different foot.  I'll admit that I was pretty jaded and grouchy and skeptical about it the first day of programming, but yesterday was actually extremely motivating and- I'll use the word again- reinvigorating.

The whole mission has become much more urgent in that they're stressing significant change in EVERY classroom of EVERY corps member without excuses.  I've felt many times that Charlotte a city where if you want to escape from that guilt you feel about your kids being two grade levels behind or living in extreme poverty or not having the love and support that every child deserves, you can do it.  It's easy.  So in some ways, as hard as I worked last year, I checked myself out from it and eventually lost sight of what I was trying to do from the beginning.

My program director is really cheesy when she meets with us, using a lot of quotes and youtube videos set to inspirational music and all of that.  I'm including two below so that you all can feel as motivated as I feel right now.  Maybe it's about going to the gym instead of public education, but whatever- I won't judge.

Ridin' Dirty

With all the time I've spent in my car this summer, I've decided to put together a list of things I like about driving stick and all the things I hate.  Not only does making a list make me feel like I've done something when I really haven't, but... okay, it really just makes me feel like I've done something when I really haven't.

The Benefits of Driving Stick

• Looking really cool and sounding impressive.  This is especially true when your boyfriend can't drive stick.  I like to pretend that solely being able to take a manual car out for a spin makes me a better driver, especially when he brings up articles about men fearing for their life when their partner is driving.  (Possible response: well I fear for my life when you drive my car... because you don't know how.)
• Being able to pretend to street race.  Yeah, I said it.  I'll rev my engine at you.
• It's more fun... I mean that.  When you're in the mood, it makes driving more of an activity than a mindless drudgery getting you to where you need to go.

What Sucks About Driving Stick

• Not being able to do ANYTHING while driving.  I know it's not safe to distract yourself in the car but let's be honest- we all do it.  It's next to impossible to do anything when you drive a standard car.  Texting?  No way.  Only at stop lights.  Eating?  Absolutely not.  Sometimes I feel bad when I'm accelerating next to someone and I'm at about 5000 rpms because I'm trying to eat a bagel.  No, I'm not trying to race you (although maybe we can later).  I just want to eat my bagel and wish my car would shift itself into third gear.
• Other people can never drive your car.  If I had a dollar for every time I needed someone to drive for me and they couldn't because my car is manual, I would have about $6.  This doesn't seem like very much, but one of those times was the 13 hour trip back home with Jack.  Through DC and NYC.  Which brings me to my next point...
• Traffic.  It's one thing if you're looking for a really good left buttcheek workout, but quite another to have to hold the clutch down for over an hour going 5 mph.
• It makes driving hungover eight billion times worse.  We all know that after a night of libations are fine motor skills our usually suffering.  For me, that means shifts that feel more like earthquakes.  And earthquakes are not fun when you spent all last night pretending you were a booze-fueled Step Up 4 extra.

 

4: Stick Shift Vs. Automatic - watch more funny videos

Happy Birthday Krissy

This will be a brief birthday post because my sister gets to celebrate with my mom.  She usually goes overboard for our birthdays, particularly when it comes to alliteration, sponsoring events such as "The Seven Days of Sari" and "The Many Cakes of Krissy" and "June is Joyous... Shit, Jon's Birthday was Yesterday".

Anyway, congratulations on turning 26, ya old fart.

In the picture below, you can see me practically diving into her cake headfirst.

Also, don't be fooled by my man hands and massive head- she's still two and a half years older.

I Need to Prove that People Like Me

Two requests directed at all the readers of my blog-

1. Donate to my Donors Choose project PLEASE.  Even $5 helps and research proves that people that spend money on other people consider themselves happier.  The link to donate is the first box on the left sidebar (or, for those of you that are too lazy to move your mouse that far, go here).  Some ways that you can make those bills back:
• Eat dinner at your parents' house one night, then pull a high school move and take some of their liquor home in a water bottle.
• Accept a drink from that sketchy guy at the bar when you're out this weekend (just make sure he's not TOO sketchy)
• Walk somewhere instead of driving... yes, I know it's 97 degrees out with seven million percent humidity, but come on people, it's for the children.
2. Follow my blog.  It has a measly four followers, which makes me look super lame.  If you have a Google account, which I'm SURE most of you do, and you read my blog occasionally, then follow me.  I'm asking nicely.  Just go to the box on the left hand side of the page where it says "Super Fans," then click Follow.  Make sure you follow it publicly, otherwise it won't make me look any cooler (my primary goal).

Heavy on the Head

Since coming back to Charlotte, I've been spending most of my free time figuring out law school stuff (the remainder of that free time is probably spent wandering around aimlessly in Target) and it's making my head hurt.  First of all, I have to study for the LSAT and have found myself dreaming of doctors labeled F,G, H, J, K and of their X, Y, Z patients.  Or of factories A, B, C and their coincidental processing of products that conveniently start with sequential letters of the alphabet (i.e. steel, timber, and uranium).  On top of that, I've been navigating TFA's partnerships with various schools, deciding arbitrarily to apply to any school that waives the application fee and happens to fall in my general bubble of geographical acceptability (which probably covers the entire country).

All this time I'm wondering if this is really what I want to do, or simply the easiest next step.  Most people pretty much have their whole life decided for them up to age 22, but then we get out of college and have a minor (or major) freak out because there are so many acceptable paths.  The easiest one is continuing to go to school.  After seventeen years of being a student, most of us are pretty good at it (or at least used to it), so its the most comfortable choice.  After working for a year, I am fully NOT in support of people going to more school right after school, except maybe med school (and even then, I'm skeptical).  It puts off the real world, with real bills and real work hours.  Plus you don't get paid (and even if you're getting a small paycheck, it's pretty liberating to be "living on your own," even if that means eating spaghetti every night and using sugar-free Popsicles as a replacement for air-conditioning).  And, most importantly, you get out with these great academic qualifications... and no work experience.  None.  The last one's more of an opinion of mine, but pretty true nonetheless.

In light of all that, I'm still thinking of going back to school because it's the safe choice.  It puts the next job decision on the back burner and lets me do what I love doing- reading and writing papers- all while escaping from the life where a real live paycheck let me pay my real live bills.  Now it will be a real live interest accruing loan paying my real live bills instead.  Is that really what I want to do?  Who knows.  But at least it's keeping me busy.