I talked about needing to write more compelling content about Beth in the last post. Let’s do that now.
Continuing Story #1.
Beth arrived to her classroom two full weeks early. Fully aware that she wasn’t getting paid during this time, she set to work on her room. It was silent in the whole building and she loved it.
Beth carried in box after box of books–her favorite part was sorting them. Flipping through the pages and touching all the covers made her smile. Even the smell of them…the smell of paper.
Books were the best. Getting caught up in another world helped her when she was younger. She was always stuck at home watching her siblings, but the family’s weekly trip to the library meant she could escape. Escape not being able to go to the pool like all her friends. Escape her brother and sister fighting like caged animals. Escape the chaos.
Ah yes, books.
As she piled them together based on genre or series, she pulled out a variety of teal, pale pink, gray and black book bins. After a couple of hours, she was getting hungry. She pulled out a peanut butter snack bar and devoured it. Okay, she was really hungry now. She still had a ton of work to do, so she ordered a sandwich and chips.
While Beth crunched on her BBQ crisps, she sat and just stared at the room, wondering what the year would bring. She imagined meeting the students and their parents. They would probably all be a little unsure of her. She was, after all, the new teacher. New to the town even. But she would win them over. Hopefully.
The teacher stress dreams had already started. She dreamed she arrived at school and the students were already sitting there waiting. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she searched her bag and realized she didn’t have her plans for the day. She didn’t even remember what she was supposed to be teaching. The kids just stared at her and all of a sudden she saw her old principal in the room scowling and furiously typing away on her laptop. She was being observed today??
It was good getting in the room early. She could get all the physical things in place and then take her time planning the first couple of weeks. Beth had learned the hard way that the first couple of weeks were crucial, not for academic learning, but for learning procedures and expectations. She had mistakenly assumed that 5th graders just knew when an appropriate time was to sharpen a pencil or the proper way to address a fellow classmate. No. It all had to be taught.
Teaching now wasn’t just Reading and Math, it was teaching the whole child. Down to mindset and feelings and behavior. Beth had to consider all these things when setting up her room and planning. She would have a couple of areas set up for “taking a break.”
Another spot she set up as the VIP spot. She found some string lights and a sort of tent thing that attached from the ceiling and came down around the little stuffed chair she found at a garage sale. The resulting affect was a sort of miniature throne for her 5th graders to sit on.
Beth realized it was already beginning to get dark outside. It was 9pm. She had been on a roll, but would have to wait until the next day to start on her bulletin boards.
This post is so real right now since I JUST arrived home from fixing up my own classroom. The fun part from tonight is that I had my mom, sister and nephew helping me. My husband Dave also cut down some stools for my little first graders to use this year. So freaking cute! Maybe I will have Alec helping Beth in the story?
I didn’t quite make my NaNoWriMo goal of 10,000 words in July.
That bums me out a little, but honestly having that goal was still helpful and produced over 9,000 words! Not all great writing, but I am getting the practice I wanted. I’ll probably be up at 10,000 words this weekend and that feels pretty good! I think it’s time for another edit at this point…
