Today was the unofficial/official first day back. Officially NYC school teachers are required to return on Thursday. Today was the day teachers at my school were strongly, strongly encouraged to attend. We were told that today would be an all day training. However, we (the lowly teachers) found out that training would be two-full days instead of one. I arrived to school at 8:45am. I decided that I would start moving only those things that I would need to get me classroom organized. About 8:30, the principal calls me to her office she asks me to help the guest trainers doing on site training moving tables and chairs. At that time, she still maintains that I would not have to move anything. She said that the other (charter) school coming leaving the building and the new charter school coming into the building, both should have had their rooms changing cleared and ready for us. But since they didn't, then it is not our fault. Then she said that if they don't move by a certain date (I think she said Thursday), then I would just stay in my room. So, basically, I am in limbo. On Monday, I should have been setting up, but instead I was packing up. I think I was one of only two teachers that came to school on Monday. The other teacher to come on Monday was the 4th grade teacher who also has to move. Since she didn't pack up her closet things in June, I think she wanted to get a headstart. As for me, I am in limbo while other teachers came back today, and they are already putting their classroom together. What am I doing? I am participating in an all day training session for today and tomorrow. Lucky me?

So, my morning was basically moving other peoples' furniture (the teacher whose room was being used was supposed to be setting up her room for the training, but she was setting up her room, and seemed to be ignoring the visitor. I thought I was moving desks and chairs for the training set up, but the classroom teacher was basically setting up her room around the visiting trainer. When I realized I was helping her move her furniture -- as if I didn't have my own room to get in order. I left. Next, because I asked AP2 about items the other school had left in the room I was moving into, I sort of ended up volunteering to help move the bookcases out of the room.

While I was helping to move the bookcases, announcements were made, which I couldn't hear as usual. I ended up arriving to training about 6 or 7 minutes late. Training lasted until 12:00, then we had lunch. The principal (as a way to say thank you to the staff for coming on an unpaid day), she bought a lunch spread for the staff. Last year, I avoided the cattle call food line. Each time, she chooses the main office to put the food spread on the counter top. A space that is about 4ft x 10ft for the entire staff. The meal consisted of soda, three 6ft long sandwiches, potato salad, cole slaw, and macaroni salad. By the time, I got to the counter -- I tried to avoid the yap yap and the arm wrap hugs. Sorry, I am one of those people that don't really like the hugging and kisses...especially when I am covered in sweat. Anyway, when I got to the counter, the mac was gone, the plates were gone also. Only cocktail plates about 4in in diameter were left. I had two of the mini plates. I had what was leftover. The people who got on line first came out with plates piled a mile high, I guess they forgot there were other people on the line.

The afternoon training finished about 2:50. The visiting trainer wanted to keep us until 3pm exactly -- she was worried that she might get into trouble if she ended early, but after a couple of minutes teachers were getting up and leaving, not really listening to her as she was speaking.

Somethings kids are the way they are because parents (and teachers) are the way they are.

I was out of the building about 3:05pm. I stopped by Teacher's College Bookstore to buy some bulletin board paper. Then I decided to risk returning to the BOE to get my ID changed. I thought I would make it about 4:30, but I didn't. I went to Barnes & Nobles instead. I finished reading Dragon Avenger by E.E. Knight on my way down to BOE. Dragon Avenger was okay. I liked Dragon Champion better. I wanted something different to read this time, but I could not make up my mine. I was in B & N for about an hour. Finally, I settled on Spearwielder's Tale by R.A. Salvatore. The book is a one volume reprinting of The Spearwielder's Trilogy(662 pages).

After B&N, I was very hungry. That Principal's lunch left me hungry (the food was gone when I went for seconds). I went to McDonald's for the Big Mac value meal. Yes, I need to start exercising again.


Post Date - Tuesday, August 28, 2007 11:23pm