Today I was told I should write a book...

I started my teaching job Monday. It was great! Our school was rated Excellent with Distinction by the ODE, so it was a great start to the year. More exciting for those teachers who were actually a part of making that happen, but still, it's very cool. And it means I work in a great place.

Those first two days were exciting. There were meetings, there was time to work on my room, but mostly, there were teachers. Others who have chosen the same profession as I have. I worked in my classroom a few days before school started, and there wasn't anyone there. I am a people person, so I was excited!

I was ready for the first day. I was excited. I was a little nervous. I've never had my own classroom before, I've only jumped in to someone else's classroom. But these are my students and I don't have to run my ideas by anyone on a day-to-day basis. It was feeling strange, but exciting.

I finally get out the door this morning and forget my lunch. Oops. I went back for it. Crisis averted. I get to school and manage to get inside without getting completely wet (oh yeah, it was storming on my first day too). I get in my classroom. Change from rain boots to dress shoes. Set up the computer. Turn on the projector. Display the homeroom seating chart. Things are great. Then I decide to take a book to the lounge so I can make copies. They aren't too important, but if I get lucky enough to find the copiers not in use, these papers could be helpful...

The copiers are in use and others are waiting. Oh well. I can skip that. Quick bathroom break and things will be fine...

...and the fire alarm goes off...


Those rain boots... the rain jacket. They're down the hall in my classroom, where the door is open and the lights are on... oops. I wash my hands and walk outside. Stand under an umbrella with a fellow member of the math department. We wait. Loud thunder. Lots of lightning. The bell rings. We have to stop the students from going inside. More loud thunder. More lightning that lights up the sky. They send us in the gym.

There are two new math teachers. The others (jokingly) said this was our initiation.

And as we discuss all of this at lunch, I'm told I should write a book... starting with the story of the fire alarms. I chose to write a blog instead.