All In a Year!

What a difference a year makes!

……Last year at this time, I was finishing up coursework for my principals certification. I was ready to move on from my current position as a first grade teacher….I was ready to take on the task of a building administrator…..but there were no openings to be found…..

……This summer, I am aware of at least 3 elementary principal openings…all within a 10 mile radius. Matter of fact, the rumor this weekend was that I am going to be the principal at one of the schools.

When I heard that news, I thought for a minute….Where were all these openings last year? But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, another thought came swirling past….I’m glad there weren’t!

I’m glad there weren’t openings last year because if there were, I probably wouldn’t be where I am at today….and as much as I want to help change the world, where I am today is one part that I do not want to change!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Flashbacks!

This past week, I had couple of flashbacks…..

-       I entered the room surrounded by white boards with dry erase markers of many different colors. I was there to create the specials schedule for Phase 2. I instantly remembered the time I spent creating the schedule for Phase 1. That schedule didn’t work out so well. As I began working on the schedule, I hoped that it would work out better than Phase 1’s schedule…I began to pace. But then I stopped. I realized that if it didn’t it would be ok…..we have learned to adjust quickly…..we have learned to be flexible….we have learned that there may be a need for Plan B or Plan C or Plan D….as of now, we have not needed a Plan E but I am sure the time will come!

-       Along with the specials schedule, came the class rosters and lesson plan format and emergency contact form. Made me think back to the beginning of the school year….our first faculty meetings….opening up that folder to find that class list and when my students would go to gym, etc. By May, I was always ready for the year to come to a close, but come August, I was always ready to begin, again. 

-       The quietness of the building made me think back to the August evenings I would spend in my classroom. I chose evenings because no one would be around and I could get so much more work done! The classroom preparation was one of my favorite times of year…..from the larger details of arranging the students desks to the smallest detail of  what I would use as a pointer……it all had to be just right….for it was where my students would spend the next nine months….where they would develop that love of learning…..

In about 7 weeks, teachers will be putting the final touches on their classrooms. But in the next 2 weeks, we will put the final touches on Phase 2 of Carpe Diem. On July 16^th, we will welcome approximately 140 students and engage them in Math and Literacy activities. We will nourish their bodies with a healthy snack and a balanced lunch. We will expand their minds through educational field trips. We will encourage them to do their best. We will prepare them for the upcoming school year. 

We will do a lot….and as we do….we will see a change…..

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Freedom (and structure)

It’s been a couple weeks since I posted….I haven’t forgotten about ya’ll, I have just been having a difficult time gathering my thoughts to write an entry that is worth reading. Perhaps it is due to the freedom that summer brings…..the freedom to walk in flip-flops, the freedom to sit at the beach and read a book, the freedom to sit  outside and have a drink with friends……we need that freedom, we certainly do…..……but behind the freedom is the structure that must continue.

In 3 short weeks, Day 1 of Phase 2 will have come to a close.  The curriculum has been written, field trips have been finalized, buses have been scheduled, positions have been filled, enrollment continues to increase, and the list could go on….

While we finalize the plans for Phase 2, we begin the process of planning Phase 3. It’s an ongoing process. I have a feeling that this is the last week of the slow and steady work pace that I have come accustomed to for the past 6 weeks. But that is ok….I am ready for the craziness to begin!!!! But in the meantime, I will take advantage of the freedom that remains!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Work week or Weekend?

Well…the time has come to write my first official blog entry from my new office. ……..

Now that my office has moved, the “quiet” that I spoke of a few weeks ago has become, “quieter”. But I must say, I am getting use to the “quieter” and I am starting to like it!

I am working at a pace that right now, is good. Don’t get me wrong….I like to work….actually, I love to work….but sometimes, you just need to slow down a bit, to reflect on the work that you are actually doing.

About a week ago, the song, “Working for the Weekend” was on the radio…. I tuned the lyrics out and became focused on those 4 simple words.

The pessimistic side of me started to wonder why people (myself included – well not anymore because if you haven’t heard – I love my job!) often begin counting down to the weekend on Monday. Seems like we are just throwing our life away. We spend 5 days waiting for 2 days.

Are you truly just working for the weekend? If so, are you doing your job well? Are you using your talents to the greatest degree? Or are you focused on rushing through the week to get to those 2 days?

Then the optimistic side of me began thinking……what if the song was titled, “Relaxing for the Work Week”?  Gives one an entirely different outlook. You spend 2 days enjoying the company of family and friends. You are given 2 days to reenergize so when Monday appears, you are ready to put your all into what you have been called to do. The end result – spending 7 days a week, enjoying life to the fullest.

Think about it.....and while you are......slow down……...use your talents, well…..…we can’t change the world if we are constantly on fast-forward.  

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Adios from Office 120

So….this is my final blog entry from Office 120.  Come fall, as you walk through the lower level doors of Hirt, you will no longer see 20-30 staff sprawled between the office, hallway and computer lab writing poems on chart paper, dividing snack amongst 12 reusable shopping bags, making copies, teaching each other the latest K-2 dance moves, singing songs, sharing lessons, and the list could go on.  The Carpe Diem Academy will no longer be taking over the lower level of Hirt….we will now be taking over the Middle and Upper levels of Hirt!

When I first started 4 months ago, I entered an office that housed a chair, a desk, and a filing cabinet.  A lot has come through the doors since then……ipads, resource books, manitupaltives, brooms, jelly beans, bleach spray, notebooks, boxes of bananas, and the list could go on. I have to say, I am normally a pretty organized person…but the abundance of materials beat me in the organization battle!

I will now have an office and the supplies will have a separate storage area. With that comes the change of the staff working in one big cluster….that will no longer be….it will be somewhat close….but somewhat spread apart.

Change is upon us….but I am certain many things will stay constant.........

The staff will continue to dance in the hallway and share songs. The staff will continue to plop down wherever they see fit to put the final touches on their lessons. The staff will continue to count out string cheese, yogurt and bananas for the children to enjoy as a healthy snack. The staff will continue to dedicate themselves to being that change in the world….for each day, they enter a classroom with 15 smiling faces…..for each day, they enter a classroom that holds the future. 

Carpe Diem!

-Amy