Bee Optimistic

T- 3 days until Year Two is officially underway. Mr. Ashe, Harrity's new principal, likes to say that we are "going live" on Tuesday. Which communicates a sufficient amount of anxiety and build-up to be appropriate, I think.

This past week we had "professional development" at Harrity every morning. The afternoons were spent in our classrooms cutting and pasting and vacuuming rat doo-doo, etc.  I spotted a perfect display bookshelf in a corner of the science lab. I wanted it. The only obstacle to satiating my desire was the PILES (literally) of rat excrement covering every last square of inch of the beautiful wood. I flipped it over and swept it out and took paper towels into the nooks and crannies. And then pushed the squeak-squeaking thing all the way to my room. I knew that my mutation as a teacher-scavenger was complete.

I have included pictures of my classroom in this post for your viewing pleasure. (Display bookshelf included). I feel really good about it. I think it really came together considering that most of the stuff in there was begged, borrowed or stolen. When school started last year I had my rules posted and some background on a bulletin board. So I'm pretty much feeling like a bad ass right now.

Mr. Ashe has officially given me permission to organize a school-wide spelling bee this year. I am SO excited. I plan on showing "Akeelah and the Bee" to generate some enthusiasm. I've already begun assembling a bee costume, too. I'm sure I'll need it. 

All in all, I am really optimistic about this year. Such feelings are strange -- foreign. On Tuesday another teacher asked me if I was high. I guess my optimism shows.