Back to school

It's that time again. After an amazing and only occasionally frustrating summer, I find myself back at school preparing for a new year. Teachers offically start on Thursday, and the kids' first day is a half-day on Tuesday. Our bedroom is FABULOUS...I shall post a link to pictures as soon as I can...and I am happy to have such a tranquil and relaxing place to come home to. And no more hideous wallpaper border. The only thing left to do is buy a mirror for over my dresser and install the closet doors (after we get some of them cut down to size).

I LOVED the stem cell seminar. Not only did I learn some incredibly interesting details about stem cells, their production and use, but I also observed some fabulous teaching techniques. It was so inspirational to watch a master teacher at work. I only hope I can achieve that level someday.

I moved classrooms this summer, mostly because the room I was in before was a lab and although it had lots of lab tables, it had no room for desks. Thus the kids were packed in pretty tightly, and this made for some, um, interesting classroom management/discipline issues. My new room has much more desk space and hopefully we will not be sandwiched in here so much. I even have space for a couple of "isolation seats"...good for troublemakers.

This is definitely the best time of the school year...we are getting ready, there is plenty of anticipation, but it's still quiet and subdued in the building. You can almost feel the excitement. Yes, I do love the smell of brand-new pencils and paper. It never gets old, does it?