Re-entry hasn’t been as bad as I was expecting, but it hasn’t been easy either. Tuesday we were all a little out of our minds from exhaustion, but the kids were ready for school on time on Wednesday. (I’m so glad I did most of our back to school shopping in between trips!) I took both of them on their first day, which was a treat for all of us because I’m usually out the door in the morning before they are even awake.
Thursday was a professional development day for our district. The 3.5 hour presentation in the morning was brutal – it just felt interminable. I always feel like the only thing I take away from those is the reminder that talking at the kids at the start of the school year is torture, and should be avoided at all costs.
Friday was a work day. I didn’t realize all my furniture was left strewn around the classroom after the carpet cleaning so I spent over an hour putting it all back where it belonged. That was frustrating because “move furniture” was not on my to-do list, but it had to get done. I had a hard time getting settled and staying focused, but I did get all the biggest things checked off my list. I have really been struggling to plan the first few days of school. I’m not sure why, but I can’t seem to settle on a a set of activities that I really like. I don’t know why I’m waivering so much, but I’m not a fan.
I am thinking a lot about procedures this year. Last year I lucked out because the 7th and 8th graders in my classes were so easy, I was able to get by with minimal procedures in place. Thankfully, I learned enough by the end of the year that I have some good ideas for how to make sure my flexible seating arrangement is a success with the rising 7th graders, who I had last year as 6th graders, and are a challenging class. I actually had them as 4th graders too, so I know very well how challenging they can be. I know I’m going to need to be really clear about expectations and consistent in requiring they meet those expectations. Unfortunately classroom management has never been my strong suit as a teacher. I’m honestly pretty nervous about this year because of it. I’m trying to think of it as an opportunity, after so many years of not having to manage behavior much, to strengthen those muscles again.
I actually already had a word stress dream / nightmare. I awoke on Saturday morning so relieved that I hadn’t actually taken a new job, that would be harder but paid less. In my dream I was so panicked about it, and mad at myself for letting it happen, that I was sobbing. I’ve never had a dream like that before. My work stress dreams are usually about me being late to class, not able to find my way back to my students on some campus that I should know, but can’t seem to navigate. I’ve never had a stress dream about getting a new job I regretted, even when I was interviewing for new jobs several years ago.
I haven’t given the possibility of a new job any thought in a long, long time, so I’m not sure where this came from. My husband did mention that there was a position opening up in his office that he might apply for, but we barely talked about it and it certainly didn’t stress me out. All I can think is that I’m really stressed about my ability (or lack their of) to manage the rising 7th graders, which make up the majority of three of my classes. The good news is, none of the students who struggled the most in my 6th grade classes last year are on my rosters, so maybe it won’t be as challenging as I’m assuming.
Friday afternoon I left a little early to run on my way home. It wasn’t the best run I’ve ever been on, but it felt good to be outside. While I never worked on a later trip as frequently as I did in St. Louis, I did keep up relatively well with my workout regiment this summer. I prioritized it to manage stress more than anything, and it definitely helped me maintain my mental health. I’m losing my running time every other Wednesday this year, so I’m going to have to figure out when and how I’m going to run this year. I also need to get back into my martial arts practice, which suffered severely this summer.
Saturday, our daughter had a birthday party and my in-laws picked up our son for a few hours, which meant my husband and I got to spend a few child-free hours with each other. He traveled with us a lot this summer, but we had very little time alone together, so we really enjoyed that reprieve. When the ILs dropped our son off, they took our daughter with them, and it was nice to have some one-on-one time with him. We’ve all been together A LOT, and having some breaks from each other has been nice.
Tomorrow morning I’m going to try to get to work by 7:30, which is when I want to arrive this year. I’m teaching zero period, which starts at 7:45, and I need at least 15 minutes before that to get ready. I was making it to work around 7:30 pretty consistently last year, which is why I offered to teach zero period, but of course now that I NEED to be there that early, I’m stressed that I won’t make it. I haven’t gotten up before 7am pretty much all summer, so tomorrow and Tuesday are going to be rough. Hopefully by Wednesday, our first official day of school, it won’t be so bad.
I’ve actually found that coming back from Hawaii has been the hardest for me as far as jetlag. I’m really tired at night, and even more tired in the morning. I had never really thought of it before, but being in California pretty much everyone is “ahead” of us, so we usually lose hours on our trip to a place and gain them back coming home. This was not the case in Hawaii. I suppose when we lived in Hong Kong it was kind of like losing time, except they were a whole day ahead almost. Still, adding 16 hours is a lot like losing 8. Of course I haven’t flown to anywhere in Asia since I moved away from Hong Kong in 1992. Anyway, my point being that I guess what they say about traveling west being easier is true (do they say this? I swear I was told this), at least for me, and I’m thankful that we usually get to travel west to come home.
Hopefully I’ll check in again before Wednesday! I hope you’re all having a relaxing end of August, no matter what that entails for you!
Also, I’m sorry I haven’t been commenting much, or at all on blogger blogs. I’ve found that I can’t really comment using my blogging pseudonym, or anonymously, with Blogger anymore. I’m sure I could if I logged into my regular gmail account, but I’m really uncomfortable even commenting under my real name. I have a couple ideas to try out, but it’s taken me a while to do that. Again – apologies if I haven’t commented in ages. I am still reading!
Understand the commenting problem and id issues. Sending you support in finding a positive easy solution.
Sounds like you are really doing great at being ready for when your students show up. After a summer like yours it is a major adjustment I would think. it is nice the carpets were cleaned. Lots of kid feet, I am sure it was long overdue for cleaning. I hope you already knowing many of your 7th graders in earlier stages makes this year easier for them to be cooperative and positive. Some of them will have matured nicely and some of them will still be quite transitional, which is hard.
Hope if your husband wants the new position that he gets and enjoys it and that any transitioning is smooth for him. Enjoying work really helps and reduces stress responses at home off duty.
Thinking of you all and wishing all a new academic year start, easy living weather, no fires or floods, and much joy!
Here’s hoping this is the last work stress dream you have for a while! New school years always stress me out as a parent and all we really have to do right now is show up and get the drop off and pick up processes right. I tip my hat to all the teachers getting theirselves together enough to manage kids and classrooms and all that jazz. May your jet lag pass really soon, too!