"So, umm, what time does new teacher training start?"

I know that when life gives you lemons you’re supposed to make lemonade. But what about those times when life gives you 4,386,247 lemons and no instructions?

Welcome to my world.

I am up to my elbows in stuff that I have no idea how to do. I’m just more or less winging it. Being given a classroom, a class schedule, and an armload of textbook teacher editions is kind of like being handed all the parts for a car, but with no instructions on how to put it together. It’s a little – correction, a lot – overwhelming trying to figure out how I’m going to do this.

Not that I’m losing my enthusiasm for the job. I’m still very excited and ready to get going. It’s just that I’m still in the getting organized stage (and probably will be up until – and probably after – the first day of school).

My class schedule looks like this:
1st period: Biblical Studies (grades 9-12)
2nd period: Free period (second semester will be Keyboarding for grade 9)
3rd period: English/Literature (grades 7-8)
4th period: English (9-10)
5th period: English (11)
Lunch
6th period: English (12)
7th period: Economics (1st sem.), Government (2nd sem.)
8th period: Free period

Government is the class I am most excited about teaching. It was originally slated as a first-semester course, but I persuaded them to switch it to second semester to coincide with the presidential primary season. It always makes it easier to teach a subject when there are significant event happening that coincide with the subject. I’d like to try to have a mock debate too, with a Republican candidate, a Democratic candidate, and an independent candidate.

My classroom looks awesome. I am not boasting in saying that because I had basically nothing to do with it. I had asked Sharla to help me place some photos and posters I had and try to unclutter the look of the room. I knew I wanted to go with a much lighter color paint than the drab desert-camo tan paint that was there.

Next thing I knew we were drawing pictures all over the wall and, well, words aren’t adequate. As soon as I find my camera I will take and post some pictures. But everyone who has come through and seen it was just blown away.