Nothin' Much to Blog About

Well, I've known my kids for a week now, and so far, it's going well enough. There are always bumps in the road when a new teacher takes over for someone who was much loved by the students. I know in time the program will become more of my own, and until then, I just roll with it.

Any frustration I'm feeling today is more due to the fact that I'm getting a cold, and I walked into my classroom this morning to find the heater on. The band teacher put a thermometer on my piano and it climbed to 92 degrees...and this was at 8:30 this morning! The A/C is completely broken in our wing, but the district has guys working on it.

At least it's not 100 degrees out there. : ) And as one colleague said, "Hey, things could be worse. We could be in Afghanistan!"

So yeah, I'm a bit stuffy and sneezy today, and my throat has been threatening an all-out mutiny for a couple of nights. That, of course, could be overuse--teachers talk a lot, and choir teachers talk, sing and make funny noises a lot!

The good news is that I'm eating pretty well and even managing to swim a bit some afternoons when I get home. A typical day consists of Raisin Bran for breakfast, a big salad for lunch, and any two of soup, sandwich or salad for dinner.

I am meeting some nice people and even have a social engagement on Friday night (going to listen to a colleague play guitar at a coffee shop, and meeting up with some other teachers, probably). I'm still loving my little apartment--it is truly my haven, and I enjoy my quiet evenings here. I try to get out of school by 4:00, and once I'm home I've imposed a "no work after 7:00!!" rule for most evenings (concerts and special functions excepted, of course). The computer gets turned off and I am either reading or watching a movie. I learned the hard way in England that my "me" time is vital.

So how are things, really? I've been busy, amused, crazy, frustrated, relaxed, challenged, homesick, and feeling like I can do it all--all at the same time. But that's teaching for you. I'm doing just fine. : )