One Week Down..........

One week of school down........how many more to go? Hmmm. I don't want to even figure it up!

Technically, we are finished with TWO full weeks of school, but this is our first complete weeks with students.

It has been a looooooooooooonnnnnnnngggg week.

Students aren't the only ones that have a hard time being back in the confines of four walls. Teachers have that problem too.  Well, at least me some of us.

For the most part, my students have been pretty good this year. So far. In seven days time. We are already deep into our first novels, taking quizzes, working on our writing skills, and correcting our grammar mistakes.

I decided this year to change the look of my room.  (If I have to be in here 9 or more hours per day, I need to love it too, right?)

(Mark Twain, drawn years ago with an ink pen by one of my students. Not even kidding!)

I brought in more 'artwork', all pertaining to
English of course.
I still have more to hang, but haven't had time yet.
With cement block walls, it takes twice as long
to hang everything.

This wall will be a gallery of cool letters and language soon.

The motivational posters are few and far between. When used, they are strategically placed and will be changed periodically.
The students see so many of them they become
immune
to them...or worse
the good messages they actually have.

(BEFORE)

Before school started I took the hodge-podge 'furniture' in my room and gave it all a paint-job-in-black.

Sorry for the blurred pic. The only thing left to paint is the shelf in the background. AFTER.)

It certainly gave the room a more unified look, not to mention how much better it smells!

(BEFORE)

(AFTER)

The walls were the brightest turquoise you could imagine.
I had the school summer-help paint them cream color over the summer.

(BEFORE)

(AFTER)

No one could believe that (colorful) me would want white walls. I like them much better. They are calm. Calm is good when you have 90+ high school students in the room throughout the day.  So the black and cream look is much better.

They are building on to our school, and my room is about 50 yards from the addition.  It makes for a very interesting day.

On the first day of school my part of the building was without electricity (construction worker error). Hence, without air-conditioning. I live in Oklahoma.  It is above 100 degrees most of August.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (today) we have been without plumbing in our part of the building. Well, technically, part of Wednesday and Thursday we were without plumbing anywhere in our building (once again construction worker error).  We had to go to other schools (middle, elementary) to "use the facilities". Really. I don't joke about potties.

Like I said, it has been a very long week. 

But I have a cute (and getting cuter) room, a pretty good bunch of kids, and a great subject to teach.

Here's to what next week brings!!