Elementary Internship: Day 1

 (8 hours down, 112 to go)

I'm trying to come up with some sort of Taylor Swift reference to describe how whirlwind-fast my day was, but nothing fits. Definite lows, no time to sit down, having to leave things undone, and my mind calling out what I need to remember for tomorrow.

(Oh, and the teacher appreciation 15 minute massage definitely made my list of today's positives.)

I'm used to having my 2 hours of administration time on Mondays to get a lot accomplished, like updating the school's entryway powerpoint with this week's lunch menu and the math Word of the Week (division), tallying the points classrooms received in their various specialist classes last week (and adjusting the 16 fish on the bulletin board to reflect the changes). I had to skip a staff meeting that I think I was supposed to attend to get things done, instead.  I had to check in a Mount Olympus size pile of books left-over from Friday when the library EA was out sick, help a sub find books for his class, turn away a staff member looking for St. Patrick's day books in order to make it out to my hall duty, and then run out to cover bus duty for a friend. All within an hour of setting foot into school (1 hour down, 117 to go). 

Then there is (as in right this minute) a 1st grade strings concert which I had to make sure had the big screen set up, the projector set up, the principal's powerpoint ready to go, and a digital camera in the hand of the principal as neither our tech nor I could make it. I almost went back after dinner, just to make sure it was all going fine, and maybe I should have, but there is a crazy knot behind my left shoulder blade asking for a heating pad, not a longer work day. 

It is days like today, as busy as they are, that remind me: 

1) If I fail to prepare, I'm preparing to fail (because, really, I could've done several of those things last Friday, but I didn't) 

2) I have to work on setting boundaries. And speaking up for myself. And making it clear to staff that my priority is teaching classes (as you may have noticed, I mentioned not one word about the 5 classes I taught today). Note to self: future staff-development: training in on Destiny Online Catalog, and Atomic Learning technology tutorials

**Currently reading: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and I am Lavinia Cumming by Susan Lowell, both available for reading while taking a hot bath (which I stridently tell my students not to do -reading in the bathtub that is. I am such a hypocrite. I also dog-ear my books).