It's August and "back to school" season in stores and on school campuses. School buildings have sat almost dormant all summer--except for summer school--allowing custodians to do heavy cleaning, maintenance to rebuild and repair, and administrators to catch up and plan for the coming year. Summers are all too short for educators for whom the end of May was slow coming.
But it is weird because after a couple of months off (if you don't count the workshops and staff development), most teachers will tell you that they wish the summer was longer, while secretly their heartbeats quicken at all the new school supplies beginning to line store shelves. I believe that is the mark of a truly dedicated teacher, that renewed enthusiasm that returns every August.
There is nothing quite as exciting as seeing all those new notebooks, lunch totes, writing utensils, and assorted gadgets. As soon as those shelves begin filling up in my local Walmart, my shopping cart (or as we call it in Texas, my buggy) heads that way as if it has a mind of its own. As a teacher, I HAVE to see what's new and what I MUST have for my classroom and students! Can I get a hearty "Amen!" on that?
This year is slightly different, though. I retired in May so I have no classroom to fix up and no supplies to buy. It's not as sad as I expected, though. I am saving money I didn't realize I usually spent! I will still peruse the merchandise and, against my husband's wishes, I will put a few things in my buggy to place into the store's school supply donation box. But I will not be sad!
Just for old time's sake, though, here are some photos of my last classroom, my science classroom from last August (please excuse the phone photos). . .
Of course, things didn't remain so neat and tidy, and I added things to the top of the shelf unit in the back, as well as more stuff to the walls. Since I knew that retirement might be an option at the end of the year, I tried not to accumulate too much, but I still ended up with more than I intended. Such is the life of a teacher/junker/decorator!
Have fun, all you educators out there, shopping, spending your OWN money (we ALL do it), and anxiously preparing for the first day of school. It's a new year, a new start, and a new opportunity to impact a child's life. It's a calling.
You must answer that call. Godspeed. . .
Ap ril xoxo
Labels: administrator, back to school, campus, classroom, decorater, junker, notebook, retire, retirement, school, school supplies, shopping, teacher, teaching
