Every summer, I start to get the mopes on 8/1. August is just one long Sunday night to me. This summer it started about three weeks ago.
I went in to school today. I haven’t been in all summer. I didn’t sleep well last night and woke up feeling nervous, anxious. Band camp was going on, so there were very few parking spaces. I found a spot on the curb, and sat in my car looking at the front of the school. I’ve heard rumor of security and structural additions, but there weren’t any visible changes to the campus from where I was; the only thing I noticed was a buzzer on the front office door to let me in.
I had a stomach ache most of the time I was at school. I became increasingly frustrated when almost everyone I needed/wanted to see wasn’t on campus. They were in district meetings, which I understand, but it was still frustrating.
I wasn’t able to get an answer on the status of my classroom request, I wasn’t able to get my keys early to begin moving things in and setting up my technology, I wasn’t able to make sure that all of my yearbook seniors were placed in my study hall. I had a meeting with the district IT people, and we couldn’t do anything with my computers because I don’t know if I’m getting my whole room back or only half. If it’s half, I can’t use a large portion of my computers, which puts a huge strain on our ability to produce the award-winning yearbook people have come to expect from us. I emailed the administrator over scheduling, and haven’t received a response. I was displaced from my room last year from February until June. I’ve been a team player, and I need to be in my space. We’ve received portables (portable, modular classrooms), so there’s enough space for everyone – and there’s no reason I can think of as to why I’d need to share my classroom. My room is really two rooms, with a divider wall in the middle. I teach English and Journalism in one half, and the other half is my yearbook lab.
When I left school, I called my husband and mom to vent. I was so angry. I realized that this feeling I had today needed to subside, so it didn’t permeate my mindset for the entire year. I went to Chipotle for lunch and calmed down a bit.
I then headed to downtown Miami to do an interview for WLRN/NPR.
I’ve spoken to Jessica Bakeman, the reporter, several times before. She wanted to do a follow-up interview with me, that will run in a series about Parkland. It’s set to air leading up to the start of school. It went really well.
This is the link to the story on WLRN: http://www.wlrn.org/post/stoneman-douglas-english-teacher-unknowns-new-school-year
I’m hopeful that this year will go well. With all of the outside influences and decisions, I don’t know how much of the year, the campus will actually belong to us. I’m nervous and anxious to go back.