The School Board of Polk County decided several years ago that this whole week of Thanksgiving is a holiday. I believe this was after the year of the hurricanes, and actually, today and tomorrow are make up days in case we are out of school for a hurricane. But, since (thankfully) we haven’t had any hurricanes lately, we get this whole week off from school. Right now, it is 8:57 on a Monday morning. I’m sitting on my couch, in my pajamas, listening to the sounds of quiet. A wind chime outside is gently chiming, occasionally a car goes by, and a squirrel is running from the roof to the tree to the steps to the electric wire. My cat is strolling, but now he just laid down and is looking at me as he prepares for the difficult job of yet another catnap.
I LOVE VACATIONS FROM SCHOOL! Absolutely, positively, love them – and here’s why! This is what I’m usually doing at 8:57 on a Monday morning.
I’ve gotten up, ironed something and run madly to the car. Once I get to work on Mondays, I have to make a copy room run. One reason I try and leave my house by 7 every morning, even though I don’t have to be at work until 8 is that I need to avoid the copy room rush. So I run to my classroom, take my laptop out of the closet where it’s been locked safely all weekend, plug it up, and while it’s starting, I run and make copies. I give my students a homework sheet every Monday and that’s usually what I need to copy. I know, I know, I should make it on Thursday the week before, and sometimes I try. But most of the time, my Thursday planning time is already filled up with other stuff – this week I was cleaning for Portfolio
So I make my copies, then rush back to my room to make sure I have everything ready for my lesson of the day. If I don’t, it’s another trip to the copy room. Then, I go sign in, in the office, which is the opposite direction from both my classroom and the copy room. I always have to use the restroom which is probably TMI, but it’s part of the routine – that pesky blood pressure pill makes me take advantage of every restroom I see in the mornings. Then, joy of my day, I have to go to duty. I have to stand by the end of the boy’s locker room and herd students towards their proper place. I have NO idea why 6th graders want to go where the 7th and 8th graders are located and why 7th and 8th graders want to hang out with 6th graders and why everybody wants to go somewhere else besides where they are SUPPOSED to be. There’s always at least one, usually more who decide that I am stupid, don’t know what I’m talking about and want to argue with me, which just starts my day off in a fine manner. So I spend 22 minutes saying, “tuck in your shirt” or “No, you can’t go see Mr. or Ms._____________” or “No you can’t go to the office.” Then the bell rings and I’m dragged along on a wave of children to my room. I’m always amazed how middle schoolers can have body odor before 9:00 in the morning!!!
Then the day begins. Our Mondays are 45 minute chaos filled class periods. It seems like they just come in and calm down and it’s time to go. I pass out homework, we just start something and boom, it’s time to go. And it goes like this all day. Sometimes, just for fun, we have Focus on Mondays so our 45 minute planning time is taken up by training. By the end of the day, is it any wonder we are all exhausted???
This year has been a little different – our guidance counselor will NOT schedule parent conferences on Mondays. We used to have parent conferences in the 20 minutes before we went to duty! And they do try to have Focus other days of the week, but sometimes it’s still on Mondays. AND I’m lucky that our school resource deputy teaches my classes on Mondays! But when she’s pulled out, it’s just crazy.
So, today I sit here and enjoy the quiet –knowing that next Monday at this time, I’ll be in the chaos and craziness of yet another Monday at school.
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