Parents, you see the teacher on the last day of school. A few months later, you see them again for Meet the Teacher - you say hello, you fill out some papers, and the school year begins.
But we teachers know there's a lot more to it.
You see, when June comes, we have SOOOO much to do (no, we don't start partying right away) - some teachers even stay an extra couple of days at school to work. Quietly. At my school we cannot leave anything on any shelves, countertops, or desktops - so I just throw everything wherever I can. Yes, I understand this makes a mess for me again in August, but really can it get any worse than this?
Yes, believe it or not custodians move all that carefully organized furniture over the summer. And teachers are left to their own devices to move it all back. And if you have back problems like me, let's just say it isn't easy...
All summer we think, we Pinterest, we plan, we set personal goals - teachers are rarely happy with "exactly like last year" (and I'd be concerned of anyone who is!). We are always going to change things. Sometimes that will mean throwing out all the RED in our room and making it blue. And pretty.
And sometimes that means going to our chiropractor and having him say "what in the WORLD have you been doing to yourself?" while he proceeds to adjust our fingers, wrist, forearms, elbows, shoulders, neck, etc, etc, etc...because we've busted up our body making our room "cute".
Teachers meet as a team over the summer - we plan, we organize, we improve. We go to trainings. Then we make our rooms, plans, and work space reflect all those changes. We know your children will rip things off the walls, break things, write on surfaces they shouldn't, etc - but we are optimistic as we staple away.
We take things home to clean, to wash, to stain remove. We bring our own cleaner from home to scrub. We clorox wipe away because, let's be honest, the custodians didn't get all those germs. And we want a fresh start.
We update old documents, print them on cleverly colored paper so you don't get confused. We write lots of instructions that you'll never read, because apparently we don't grow out of not reading/following directions. Nevertheless, we, with high hopes, cleverly lay out all the information and documents you need with care. We place name tents, use powerpoints and to-do lists as well as verbal reminders to help you.
We get our class lists and nervously write your children's names on things (although I'm learning not to do that until AFTER meeting your kids because they all have oh so clever nicknames). We dress up. We put on makeup after months of not caring.
We stand anxiously at our doors, praying for a good class to learn with, teach, and laugh with. We hope that you'll be kind to us, respect us as professionals, and will work with us to do what's best for your children.
We hear the footsteps and voices echo down the hallways...
after months of preparation,
you're coming.
Happy Meet the Teacher night!
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