You Might Be In the First Week of School If...

The first week of school is such an exciting time—full of hopes,
dreams, innovation, and fresh starts. I found myself chuckling throughout the
week as I mentally compiled a list of things that are part of our common
experience in education during those magical first days. 

You might be in the first week of school if:

1. You
   and your bladder are in negotiations as you try to navigate your new classroom
   schedule.
2. You
   go home every night with a hoarse voice, and by Friday, it’s down to a dull,
   froggy mumble.
3. You
   are asleep by 7 p.m. on the first Friday night, completely wiped out to the
   point that even your eyebrows are exhausted.
4. Your
   new dress rips under your armpit as you stand on your tippy-toes and reach up
   high to hang yet another anchor chart. (Yes, this did happen. And of course, my
   fifth graders were more than happy to point it out.)
5. You
   realize that you are not in good enough shape to teach. Time to hit the gym.
6. You
   catch yourself giving your dogs step-by-step procedures for how to go outside
   correctly and what their expectations are.
7. You
   lose five pounds because you forgot that as a teacher, you are on the constant
   move. Lose the teacher’s chair. It’s not needed.
8. You
   realize that the teacher’s desk is really non-essential. Its best use is a
   reward for good classroom behavior and as a large perch for your coffee cup.
9. Speaking
   of coffee, you decide that, yes, you do need a coffee pot in your classroom.
10. 10. Your
    spouse is wondering why there are numerous credit card charges to Barnes and
    Noble, Target, and your local teacher supply store.
11. 11. You start
    squirreling away toilet paper rolls, empty milk jugs, and old pickle jars. You
    have a thousand ideas for how to use them.
12. You ask
    your friends and family to squirrel away said “treasures” as well.
13. You pull
    over on the side of the road to rescue old bookshelves that someone had the
    audacity to throw away. Your students will love them.
14. You wake
    up on Saturday at 7 a.m., worried (mistakenly) that you are late for school.
    Not able to go back to sleep, you get up and work on lesson plans.
15. Your
    friends wonder where you are and why you fell off the face of the earth.

To all my teachers, school staff, administrators, and those who
do their best every day to make a difference in the lives of our
children—thanks for all that you do! I hope you had a happy first week of
school. And I hope you are getting some much needed rest as well.