Bullet Point Version

• Bullet Point Version Update!
  
• Tomorrow is my first day as Ms. McGee in Room 22
• It takes about 30 minutes to get to school as I sit in traffic and eat my oatmeal
• When I get off the freeway, I drive by two signs that say City of Hope….and in my cheesy mind frame, I am so blessed as I feel I have had nothing but hope that something dynamic would happen in my career as I had to look for a new job. Daily, twice as I drive to my school I am reminded of the hope that I had and still do have!
• My staff has been very accommodating most have taught between 10-30 years, I guess that is a big range (two teachers I think are on their second year)
• The new thing on top of all new encounters I’ve been though, I decided to create a really sweet library in my classroom this year. I impress myself. I cannot wait for the students to see it tomorrow!
• I met some of my students last week at a Back to School, but not really event. They were sweet. Already giving me hugs.
• I work in a highly low income, reduced/free lunch, ELL population, but something that I am and have never been opposed to
• There are many things I have to incorporate in my classroom that in the past I did but never had to demonstrate evidence the way I have to now, but I guess I am flexible, and it will make me a better educator!
• I am the only teacher in upper grade that does not have an LCD projector hanging from the ceiling with a document camera. Since the first day of discovering my loss, I have been on the search. God thing for sure…my neighbor who is the literacy coach gave me her personal projector to use, while I am taking the doc. camera from the computer lab until it is needed. The staff is making fun of me since I know the most about the tech tools, yet have a classroom with little technology! There is a lesson, not sure what it is yet, maybe that I have to ask!
• Everyday I have to be out of my room by 4, that is when the alarm is set. This is difficult for me. I have already accidently set off the school alarm and the neighborhood new that I had arrived!
• I am looking forward to diving into a new year of teaching and the idea that I have a group of students to love starting tomorrow and consistently for the next nine months!
  Aslo, Gflo has brain surgery tomorrow. She is waking up early to drive with Mom and UG to Sacramento.
• She is weak and scared. The docs are weaning her off her “happy pills” so she is just ok and sounds different that she did last week.
• Everyone is getting more emotional and teary
• My prayer is that she does not suffer as this is really the beginning of a battle to flight.
• It is bizarre, the fam has encountered such attack, something I like to call spiritual yuckiness.
• Here are examples: Between my mom, sis, Gflo and I in a matter of three days….a h2o heater corroded and went out, messed up the floor and walls, all pipes connecting to h2o heater have to be replaced. Two different garages broken (I got trapped in mine!) An alarm system broke. Chair for GFlo broke. Sliding Door broke. Dead car battery twice. The list could go on, but something that I quickly became aware of was the idea that we need to have perspective and the armor on for sure! Amazing things that have also happened: Mom’s friend translated a parent letter for me in Spanish, fast! Mom figured out internet solution at GFlo’s. Mom found some referrals for her eye surgery (guess the cataracts decided to act up now!) There are more, but needless to say it has been slightly crazy, but I think distractions are sometimes good.