These Cats

Alex wanted to be out on the balcony just so he could watch Mrs Reynolds. 

Pub Subs by the Pool

We spent a few hours this afternoon with out friends in their pool. It was a perfect way to spend an August Saturday afternoon. 

K-2

The little kids are probably the biggest challenge for me so far. They're just so... little. They are very needy and very energetic and they just don't really know anything. It's hard to fault them for not being quiet when they run across the room to tell a friend about a book they found. There's a learning curve for them and for me, too. We'll get there together. 

Nice Things

Some nice things about my new school:

1.  We can leave on Friday as soon as dismissal is over. 

2.  Dismissal is only 20 minutes long! (Most schools I've been at, it's at least 30-40 minutes)

3.  I only have dismissal duties twice a week (and no morning duty!)

4.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we can leave immediately after dismissal if we do some wellness activity (going for a walk, meditation, yoga class, etc)

5. We can come in 45 minutes later one day a week. 

6.  The kids dismiss an hour early on Wednesdays so we have time for team planning and meetings (which also means no meetings during planning!)

7.  We can wear jeans and shorts any day. 

7th Grade!

Nate and I both had to leave for work over an hour before Korra, so she took a first day of school selfie for us. 

She said she had a great day. I can't believe how grown up she is. 

Wednesdays

On Wednesdays we dismiss students an hour early for collaborative planning time. Also, I only teach one class every other Wednesday so it's going to be a day where I can do a lot of planning and library maintenance stuff. Yesterday I changed out the bulletin board outside the library and planned all my lessons for next week. 

That rest/prep day has helped me feel very ready for another busy day of library orientation lessons!

Another Sewing Project

Korra completed her second sewing project on the sewing machine! 

She made a little lined pouch that velcros closed to hold her earbuds!  

First Day of School!

I really enjoyed greeting all the students as they walked into school this morning.  Elementary energy is definitely preferable to middle school energy.  

One student walked up to me, looked me up and down and said, "You look like a librarian."  I think that's a good thing.

Open House

Today we had Open House at my school. I wore my new book dress. First the teachers all sang a song to/for the students and their families, which was absolutely beautiful. Then, there was an hour for everyone to visit. I've been at schools where Open House lasts for 8+ hours. This was infinitely better. Even though everyone told me no one really comes to the library, it was packed!  Kids coloring bookmarks and reading books with their parents and a line of people waiting to introduce themselves to me. I loved it. I feel really prepared and excited for the first day of school tomorrow!

Pedicure Tradition

Today Korra and I went got our annual back-to-school pedicures. It was lovely to sit side-by-side in the massage chairs and talk about the summer that's over and the upcoming school year.

Flight Changes

I had a flight booked to Chicago for Korra and me for September. I got an email on Friday that my flight had changed. I assumed it would be by a few minutes, maybe an hour. Nope. My previously nonstop flights now had 3-5 hour layover in Dallas. Unacceptable. I canceled them, got a credit (because I paid with a credit from my cancelled Maine trip) and then had to book new nonstop flights through other airlines. Fun times. 

Roller Derby!

We went to the Atlanta Roller Derby this evening!  It was super fun and I saw one of my new coworkers there- she skates for the Apocalypstix!

Bruce the Shark

I just couldn't keep up with the sweeping/vacuuming of the new floors (imagine small cat fur tumbleweeds) so we bought a robot vacuum. It's a Shark brand so obviously we named him Bruce and I'm already very happy with this purchase. Plus I get the joy of watching Alex run away from it. 

New Contract!

Yesterday I got a revised contract for work. Our district approved 11% raises and that applies to me, too!  It is $26,000 more than I've ever made before and $37,000 more than I was making as an office manager. I feel grateful and giddy and valued and very excited. Looking forward to that first paycheck!

Friendship Anniversary

Last night we went out to celebrate 20 years of friendship with some of our favorite people in the world.  First we had a dinner of tapas and sangria at Iberian Pig, then we walked around downtown Decatur for a bit more to have more drinks and ice cream and take some pictures.  It was a lovely evening and I look forward to many more years of friendship!

Patrons Imported!

Another hour on the phone with support and by 3:30 yesterday , I had all the kids into the library circulation system. That means everyone can start checking out books on the first day of school! 

Support Call

Today I spent two hours on the phone with the circulation software support. I need to import my patrons' information (the kids and teachers). The previous librarian was typing it all in manually!  Um, no. It's 2024. Let's get this automated. 

The software company said I'm not a "super administrator" and I needed a password from a lady who works at the district office. I called that lady and… she's out of the office for an indefinite amount of time for a family emergency. I called the software support person back and she tried to find a work around for me (with absolutely no success).  I finally got in touch with someone else in her department and they said they had no idea what I was talking about- they're not in charge of charter schools. I was able to get that in writing and forward it to the software support team, who has FINALLY made me a super admin! 

Two hours today probably saved me 10+ hours for every year going forward. Totally worth it. 

No Stamina

I've been absolutely exhausted when I got home yesterday and today. It's been so long since I've interacted with so many new people and used my brain all day. I'm only feeling a tiny bit overwhelmed with all the information and all there is to do. Mostly I still feel excited and confident. It's a really nice feeling, even if I am very tired. 

Meeting the Whole Staff

Today was my first real day of pre-planning. We had a staff retreat at Top Golf. In addition to going over the vision and guiding principles of the school, I got to meet all my coworkers from both campuses. It was especially wonderful to meet my media clerk, the media specialist at the middle campus, and my team (the other "related arts" teachers). They were able to answer a bunch of my questions and were just generally nice, interesting people who I'm really excited to work with. I also chatted with two of the teachers that were in my interview and they told me that everyone in the interview was immediately convinced I was the right person for the position and that my vulnerability about burnout was very meaningful.  I'm more convinced with every day that this is a good place for me. 

Tearful Goodbyes

Korra and her cousins had a really hard time saying goodbye tonight. 

They had such a great week together. 

I'm so thankful for their friendships (and that we got to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday with her tonight!)

Pensacola

Last night we drove to Pensacola. Nate and I are working from his parents' house this morning and then we'll be reunited with Korra this evening!  We're also going to go out for dinner tonight to celebrate Nate's mom's birthday. 

Conscious Discipline

Today I had a training on Conscious Discipline. While I hadn't heard of it before, all of the concepts make perfect sense and seem to be a collection of all the best practices and skills I've been learning both personally and professionally for the last 10 years. I'm excited that it is an integral part of the school culture and I'm looking forward to reading the book over the next few days to get an even better understanding. 

The best summary I can come up with for Conscious Discipline is that adults need to do the self-work to regulate their own emotions and then model and teach that to our children in loving relationships and community. Good stuff. 

Visit with Austin

We met Austin, his wife, and their 2 year old yesterday for pizza at a playground. It was a very strange and surreal experience. I don't really have the words to express how it felt, but I wanted to document that it happened. I'm glad we got to see each other. 

First Day

Today was my first day of new staff orientation. It's completely out of character for me, but I didn't feel anxious about it at all. The whole day of meetings and information was very typical school orientation stuff, well prepared and thoughtful. It feels so natural, normal. I don't feel stressed or nervous at all. It might come as it gets closer to the first day of school but right now I feel more relaxed and confident than I've ever felt at a new job or even at the beginning of any school year before. I hope this feeling continues for a while. 

Staycation: Athens

We checked out of the hotel in Atlanta yesterday morning and walked home to check on the cats and grab another change of clothes. On the drive to Athens we stopped at a mall and spent an hour wandering around and eating Auntie Ann's pretzels. We checked into our hotel early and then made the devastating realization that both of the breweries Nate wanted to visit were closed on Mondays. I was so mad at myself for not thinking to check. We did find one that was open and decided to walk there. It was only a mile but as it's been in the high 90s, sunny, no breeze, and extremely humid, it was not a pleasant experience. The brewery had great AC and very friendly staff so it turned it ok. On the walk back to the hotel, we noticed that the closed brewery Nate most wanted to visit was full of people.  Even though it was closed for a private event, the staff let us purchase some cans to take home. We had dinner at a restaurant whose website strongly implied it was Belgian but turned out to not be at all (a little disappointing) before making it back to the hotel. 

This morning we went out for breakfast at Mama's Boy (again, good but not great) and then walked around downtown for some shopping (Nate enjoyed the record stores the most). 

Not our best mini vacation, but I think it was still good for Nate and me to get out of our usual routine, relax, and enjoy each other's company.