Thanks, awesome people! I feel very cute, which is a very good feeling.

I feel very cute

Good, because you ARE very cute. I love the new 'do and the very sassy hat!

IMemememeNews: I am oh so very tired. Left home at 6:30 am, got home 16 hours later. New teacher orientation from 8-3 then I met up with my co-teacher at our school. She's the music teacher and we co-teach one class and direct 3, count them 3, musicals together over the course of the year. So, today, we put together our show schedules and went over some other stuff and then went out for Thai food. I like her a whole lot and think we'll get along well.

Now, however, I'm getting all panicky about having everything ready for next week (Wed) when school starts. I'm going to spend the day tomorrow working on my room, organizing, etc.

Thursday, I'm going to get to meet with the teacher I replaced. He retired after 20-plus years and he said he'd share all his materials with me. Big time Yay!

Deep breaths, ChiKat. Focus on getting systems in place--systems for attendance, for parent communications, for seating, for bathroom passes, etc. I know it sounds hopelessly mundane, but good, solid systems will get you through the year. (You likely already know this, but I'll share just in case!)

You'll never be totally ready, but you're going to be great!

(I'm really trying not to think about the fact that school starts for me in less than two weeks. I will be having this freakout and you will be talking me down at the end of next week.)

Kristin, I'll take whatever sharing you've got! Like, I totally forgot about bathroom passes. Totally necessary and simple, yet totally forgot.

Another thing I do early on is make email lists. Do your students have school email accounts? If so, you can create mailing lists including all the students in each class. That little trick has saved my butt many a time when I realize I've forgotten to tell a class something or when I want to let them know about upcoming dates.

Re: bathroom passes--depends on age and school rules, but I've found a clipboard sign-out sheet hanging by the door with a generic hall pass to be effective for high schoolers. That way they don't interrupt the class to ask to go to the bathroom--they know they can sign out and sign back in on their own, and you have a written record of how often they're leaving class.

I need to get my crap together and throw a change of clothes in a bag for yet another trip to Florida tomorrow morning.

I'm also trying to get a utility rack for the new truck ordered before I leave.

I'm tired.

SA is unbelievably cute. And whip smart to boot.

ND: are you flaying out of Burbank again or might we meet for a cocktail in the lounge at LAX?

SA is unbelievably cute. And whip smart to boot.

::smothers sean in kisses::

or might we meet for a cocktail in the lounge at LAX?

Oooh, Encounter is always fun.