Soda-Lighted

God, I really hope my new co-workers like puns as much as I do...

In all seriousness, though, one of the great things about being a teacher is that you can be around other nerds and be nerdy together.

Today I was invited to attend the post-planning breakfast at my new middle school where I met my new co-workers. They were so warm and welcoming!

The whole school is being renovated over the summer with new LED lighting, ceilings, paint, and touch screen t.v.'s. And I could not love my new classroom anymore! It is enormous, has an exterior glass door, huge window with a view of trees, and is right across from the bathroom. Win!

My view: Trees. TREES! 

Additionally, I will only be teaching 4 classes (my last teaching role was 5), one ''prep'' (subject), World Studies (my last role had 3 preps), and my first two periods are planning periods (I only had one planning period last time). My commute is 20 minutes, and on Wednesdays they have a full coffee bar. I can also totally utilize ''flexible seating'' and not have a single traditional desk in my classroom if I don't want one. I have decided to make the entire center of the room a ''learning lounge'', with a couch, coffee tables, bean bags, yoga balls, cushions, Christmas lights, etc. I am going to keep regular desks in a horseshoe shape and broken into ''pods'', with 4 desks a pod for lecture time and testing, and then when we work on activities they can retreat to the learning lounge.

My desk is in the corner. I can't wait to add my
picture frames, some plants, and a cute lamp!

My husband joked that he can practically smell incense and hear Indian music playing already. Actually, one of my favorite Asian artists is called Yiruma, and ''River flows in you'' is so beautiful I could cry when I hear it. There is a link below if you want to give it a listen. I promise, you will love it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7maJOI3QMu0

And for those of you who read, Poe and The Fainting Goat, will find this particularly interesting: my new classroom was totally bare except for one poster remaining on the wall from it's former inhabitant, an English teacher.

Guess who it was of. Go on, guess...

How weird is this? I mean, seriously. The funny thing is, I was called in for two other interviews which I declined because I was waiting to sign my contract with my new middle school. I was a bit worried that I made a big mistake, maybe it wasn't the right school, maybe I should have accepted the other interviews just in case. But when I saw that poster, I knew for sure this is where I am supposed to be.

The best part is that even with my impending PET scan results tomorrow, cancer has been the furthest thing from my mind. Cancer can go fuck itself, as a matter of fact. I am so delighted to be going back to work, it's not even funny.

I have been to the Middle Eastern, African, and Asian markets collecting 
items for my classroom displays. I am going to give away these Japanese fruit 
snacks on the first day of school to a few lucky students. 
Sadly, I have eaten most of the noodles, as I cannot resist noodles.

''I am curious; out of all of the other candidates, why did you choose me for the job?'', I asked the administrators who interviewed me.

Major score at Five Below! For $35 I bought 3 large mats 
from India, two sets of Edison bulbs, and a yoga ball
 for the flexible seating area, where we can sit communally for 
discussions and documentaries and activities. 

''Because you have really good energy. You had the most enthusiasm, the best portfolio, we loved the items you brought in to show us. There was just something about you that we really, really liked, and we are so happy you are joining our school family.''

Aww!
I am happy, too. Even the midst of PET scan results, and impending marital separation, I am really and truly happy.

Rather than tell my interviewers how I teach, I decided to show them with a sample weekly lesson plan. Since I wasn't sure what grade level the job was for, I went with the very first unit standard for 6th grade,
which funnily enough was Canada! They loved that I brought in actual Canadian items, and
who doesn't like looking at Justin Trudeau from time to time.