School Looms!

Teachers across the province are adding the finishing touches to their classrooms as they get ready to welcome the kids back to school on Tuesday.
It is an enormous job; moving desks, painting shelves and cloakrooms, putting up attractive bulletin boards, photocopying work, printing name tags and sharpening pencils! It has been a tiring week. They are both excited and nervous.

Teachers of all ages are about to embark upon another year's journey in their career; 30 new faces and 30 new families. They will be a huge part of each student's life for the next 10 months. All will experience successes and failures, and each will be taken to heart.

What will unfold? What memories will they have etched in their minds forever come the end of next June? What will the students and teachers have learned from each other?

I could feel all this as I went in this past week to clean out my room, cupboards and desk for the teacher who is replacing me. For the first time in 29 years, I am not returning to school in the fall. It did feel a little strange not to be buzzing around organizing supplies for a class and asking, "Where the heck are the markers and the chart paper?!" But, at the same time, I felt a little relief.

During the upcoming year, I need to concentrate on my health issues and strive to improve them. Without the stress of school, I will be better able to do that. It was an extremely difficult decision for me to make because I love the kids, teachers, and everything about workng in such a dynamic setting each day.
But I shall volunteer as a helper, or lead sessions in reading, writing and music as much as I want. I am actually looking forward to the year ahead!

And to my colleagues and any other teachers out there, those rooms look sparkling and very welcoming! Thanks for all the effort you put into your job.
Break a leg on your first day back!

Mother of Invention, having a few sympathetic first day jitters myself!