Tuesday was our first teacher work day. We had our building meeting going over basics for the staff, then had lunch as a district.
After lunch I had a district school improvement team. While most of my colleagues were working to complete their rooms, I was finalizing our professional development plans for Thursday (today). I didn't get to start my "work day" until most teachers were packing it in for the day. I know many hauled things home to work, but I am still hauling things back! I had hours of unpacking of my classroom library. I was thrilled when a friend's son showed up to help for two hours. His attention to detail saved time, but I didn't finish the last shelves until 9:30 pm! I still have some tweaking to do, and have to label all of the baskets!
Professional Development for Wednesday morning was one of the most relevant I had been to in a long time. If you ever get the chance to hear Jack Berckemeyer, don't pass it up! As a former teacher and a humorist, he had us laughing until we cried. He used humor and movement to hook us. His seven edicts on if he were the education "ruler" let you know he had lots of real experiences in the classroom. It was like being at a teacher comedy club. He made me forget for three hours that I still had bulletin boards, class lists for posting, and a newsletter to write and print before open house at 4:00. I know I shouldn't have waited, but I fell asleep Monday night and Tuesday night when I got home. I am still playing catch up, so I'll try to be back tomorrow with my delayed post.
