2 down and 178 to go

Yes, I have finished the first 2 days of the new school year and I must say that I have mixed feelings. Monday was the usual sitting through informative meetings in the morning and then not being able to remember much by the afternoon. However, we did get to spend time in the computer lab in the afternoon to try to use the information from the morning. My notes were very spotty. As we sat at our computers, I noticed that I was the youngest person sitting in my row of computers. As we tried to decipher our notes and get into the "amazing programs" that awaited us, we came to the realization that we were strangers wandering in a strange land. We were the blind leading the blind. We followed the directions. They didn't work. We tried again with no success. Then a computer person came around and said something about maybe we needed to right click. We want to know why there isn't a key on the computer to tell us when right clicking is the thing to do. We old geezers did finally figure out how to get into some programs that looked pretty promising. Our TV's will be hooked up to our computers so we can download these fabulous videos to enhance our already brilliant teaching skills. Now all we have to do is remember how we got there in the first place and download the program so that we will still have time remaining in the hour to view it. I am a social studies, English person. Dealing with technology takes patience and perseverance which are two attributes the Good Lord did not bless me with. To be able to use the computers this year to access our email and the net, we had to come up with a new password. By the time I got to school this morning, I had forgotten mine. NO, I didn't write it down. In my defense, I was fairly pooped by the time it got to be 3:00. I tried all of my usual ones and nothing worked. My friendly tech person came by and assured me that I wasn't the only one who had forgotten and so she took my new password and is putting it in for me. I hope it is ready for tomorrow since we will be learning how to use the new gradebook, attendance, etc. program tomorrow. YEA!!! HURRAY!!!!

The students came to enroll today and since the buildings are under construction, the office is right across the hall from my room. The tables for enrolling were right outside my door. It was a hectic day to say the least.The hall was way too hot so I kept my door open and invited people to come into the coolness of my room to fill out all of those yucky beginning of school forms. Anyone who knows me knows that I spent way too much time talking and helping and way too little time getting ready for Thursday. I did get my bulletin board finished, procedure handouts run off, and my folder holders ready for my classes but that was just a drop in the bucket compared to what I needed to get done. However, I loved seeing everybody. Besides the students who will be in my classes, I saw many former students who were there enrolling their children. I had a very hard time comprehending that so many of my former students had children in grades 6-12. I know that I have been teaching a long time, but gracious goodness there were sooooooooooooooo many. We did get to laugh and remember the good old days. Most of them were enrolling middle school children. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I have been completely warn out by the time I have gotten home in the evenings. I am hoping that I make it until 3:25 Friday when I can go home and try to rejuvenate myself for the weeks to come. Those first few days always drain the very life out of me, but then I catch my breath and take off running full speed ahead the next Monday and try to keep it up until Labor Day. It's those little breaks that keep me going. Yes, I know I am spoiled, and I like it. Now that I have actually wrapped my mind around the idea that school is starting, I am READY to accept the CHALLENGE of attempting to prepare another group of young people for the future that awaits them. A LOFTY GOAL BUT I AM UP FOR IT. FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER. With that I will leave you all because I really need to go to bed.