Best Day Ever!

As many of you, all 5 of my faithful readers, know, I applied, accepted, and signed for a job in Decatur this year teaching 5th Grade Science at Carson.  I've had a ton of stressers in the back of my mind all summer about the change, mainly the change in schools for the kids, teaching in an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL with CUBBIES, teaching a TAKS tested grade, teaching CSCOPE curriculum, teaching new TEKS, and then just your basic social scene of a new school.  Luckily-which doesn't even begin to describe the calm it gives me, but luckily, my kindred spirit Crystal teaches at Carson as well, and has promised to be my willing Safe Haven as I traverse the ups and downs of my own emotional well being. 

I've managed to space out some of these stressers, which is proving to be useful to me.  My room is up and done, and the Science Lab is well on its way.  That in and of itself gives me the necessary ability to breathe, and from what I've read, breathing is always good.  However, yesterday I met with the other two fifth grade science teachers-teaching at the other two elementaries, and came home yesterday over the limit.  For Real.  I was overwhelmed.  My principal stopped me on my way out of the building to check my pulse and stress level because he said it was written all over my face-I'm not good at disguising my feelings-obviously.  I actually stopped at Wal Mart, bought a six pack, and drank two on the way home.  (Jenn-I'm speaking figuratively here, sort of.)  I whined to Todd a bit about it, but he chalked it up to "Danielle's beginning of School Stress."  He's so supportive that way.  So, I consciously put it in the back of my mind, where I'm fighting to keep it for now.

However, today, I left school practically floating on cloud 9.  I met with my grade level team, and we hammered out some 5th grade policies, procedures, and guidelines.  I typed up our Team Packet.  We talked about what we would cover the first days of school.  We were all on the same page-almost cutouts from the same cloth, and WE GOT STUFF DONE.  As if that wasn't enough, my principal let us know that 4 of the 5 designated teacher days before school we were going to get to work in our rooms.  THAT NEVER HAPPENS.  I've been busting my tail up there all summer because I was sure I'd be sitting in meetings all that week wishing I was in my room.  You couldn't have slapped the smile off of my face.  And, to top everything else wonderful in my day, my team told me that at the new-to-the-district meeting next week I would be given $200 to spend in my room!  It was like I won the lottery of happy days!  I'm leaps and bounds above where I was at the beginning of last year.  My list of stressers is decreasing by the second, and I'm thinking God must have known what he was doing all this time.  He's just now letting me in on his big, wonderful secret.

I'm a lucky girl.  Lucky, lucky girl.  If that's bragging, I'm ok with it just once.  I might just have earned it this time.  :)