Book Fairies and Garden Gnomes: Ahhhh!!! New Job

Ok, so first - I have decided I want to blog this year. I know, I know - I said this when I started the blog, then I skipped a whole school year (2013/2014). But I have an excuse - (don't I always?) - last school year I wasn't teaching. Partly because I wanted a break, (I figured most female teachers my age where taking maternity leave and since THAT wasn't happening...), partly because I wanted to come back to the island, and partly because my dad had cancer (Cancer free now!) and partly because I'm just to lazy to work too hard at getting a teaching job.

So, last year I worked at a high school as an aide in the Special Ed department, which was pretty cool. Except the money was much, much smaller than what I was making as a teacher, so I had to supplement by tutoring high school students after school for hours. So here I thought it would be a year "off", and it ended up taking more of my time than teaching five grades at once did. Sigh.

This year, I was determined to go back to teaching. So I applied. And I applied. And I applied. I even interviewed. Then I turned down jobs. "WHAT???" you ask? Well, I thought I would be offered better ones. And ones with more pay. I don't plan on working 2 jobs this year. Of course the teacher strike in the public school system didn't help with finding a job.

And wouldn't you know it, but Friday, five days ago, I was hired. HALLELUJAH!!!!! Of course, it was August 22nd, and school starts September 2nd. Not a lot of time.

So Friday, to get ready, I shopped. What else did you think I would do? I went to Michael's 3 times. Staples once. I went clothes shopping. More shopping. And more. Until I was shopped out.

Saturday I packed. Luckily, I hadn't really unpacked since moving the year before since I lived with my brother this past year and wasn't teaching, but it still took all day.

Sunday picked up the trailer from U-Haul and packed it with the help of family and friends, I knew they were good for something ;)

And Monday I drove. Took the ferry to the mainland. Drove for hours. Drove all day. Finally arrived at a hotel. Yeah, the school is about a day trip away from the island. And I don't have a place to live yet. And I have an over-a-hundred-pound-dog. She's staying in doggy day care during the daytime.

Tuesday I went into school and met everyone, we were in meetings till 2, then I started setting up my class. Then I picked up the dog, looked at 2 houses, walked the dog, got back to the hotel, looked at my list of stuff to do for school, worked on that for hours, fell asleep, woke at 2am, looked back at teacher blogs/Pinterest/TPT, and here I am. 4:45, waiting for the alarm to ring.

Welp, that's about it. Except that I have a grade 2 class of 22 students, the classroom was used as storage last year (already took out the piano), and it's a mess. I am a little too. But it's ok. There's still six more days until the kiddies come. Though I have to find a place to live. And move there. But whatever.

Here's some pics: