Overwhelmed

This is a distressing time of year. Officially, we don't have to go back to work. But we all know that teachers really only leave work behind for the summer for a short time.

I went to Wal-Mart and stocked up on all the things I could think of that I needed. Black material, to cover bulletin boards. A new stapler. Plastic folders in green, orange and purple for our B.E.E. folders. More money pouches for B.E.E. folders. File folders. Composition notebooks for poetry. Cute paper, envelopes and labels to send out a welcome letter to my students and their parents. Shopping for school is fun. It makes me feel like a kid again, checking off my list of "school supplies".

Then, since my girls were playing at a friend's house, I decided to go work on my room for a bit. I walked in, dumped the pile of new stuff on a table, and looked around. I nearly hyperventilated. I had forgotten how hard it is to decide what goes where. So much furniture. So little space. So many good ideas that want to come to life.

After a half hour of shuffling things around, I gave up on that and started working on the built-ins behind my desk, which were full of crap I didn't know what to do with last year. After getting frustrated with that, I started cleaning out a cabinet, also full of random crap -- not just from last year but also inherited from the previous teacher. I cleared and organized three shelves, but I didn't want to put anything back on them! I just wanted them to look nice and clear, unburdened by things I don't know what to do with. But eventually I'm going to have to make some decisions about the pile I pulled out of there.

Then, because I can't focus when I'm overwhelmed, I started covering a couple of bulletin boards in my room with fabric. I stuck the bee border up around it, and it looks very finished. I'm glad that I have that one little success to look at.

I have my CAFE menu ready to be laminated and put up. That will be the next thing I get done, as it will help remind me of what my ultimate goal is this year.

And now I need to finish packing for Las Vegas; I am going with my mom and sister for my mom's birthday. I am hoping I can leave my thoughts about school behind.