Ewww... Is that Dust?

As I ran my finger across the edge of those very old and funky shades, I told myself, "Oh. This was a mistake. Ewww... Is that dust?" Upon inspection of my finger, I was no more sure than when I was simply examining the shades with my eyes and not a filange.

But, dust and grime aside, a filthy and old classroom is still one big deal. It is a CLASSROOM. And for all of us newbie teachers, classroom=teaching job. Who am I to whine over nasty shades, some of which pull down, some of which are permanently stuck in awkward positions. They are my shades now! (Which means... out to the trash they need to go! Once I get some gloves on, that is...)

My new classroom. Complete with some shelving that seems to only fit in one very inconvenient location, 5 tables, 2 teachers desks (that I don't like), some Macs (who uses these???), and a nice stack of hand-me-down games and manipulatives. Sweet. Oh, and that stack of TAKS prep books. Sigh. What am I to do with these damned things? Out with shades? Phooey. How could I ever be so silly to think I could teach 5th grade without those terrible TAKS workbooks? But that is a whole 'nuther issue, folks. Let's not go there today.

So back to this room. It is roomy. It is...dirty. Oh, wait, already said that. Where to begin... Rugs? A loveseat? (hey, not for me, for the students to read on, duh) I have theme but have no idea exactly what to teach. I'll figure it out one way or another. But first, let's get the important things out of the way. Gloves on. Up the ladder. Off with the shades!