Back to work eve. Room set up, curriculum laid out, first several weeks of lesson planning done, nearly ready to go! Yet there’s this sense of foreboding I’m trying to ignore. We have not received our usual letters regarding the two work days tomorrow and Friday. Usually we get a letter with agendas and locations, etc. This year, nada. Oh there was an email sent at the end of the year last year that I discovered, so at least I now know where to report for the district day tomorrow, and I’m sure when I show up at the site on Friday there’ll be plenty of info. I think it’s a sign of the budget times that no letters were mailed this year. Another loosely realted effect of the budget is our class sizes which has had a ripple effect for my program. Students in the program I run ideally should have a set of core classes that are taught by teachers in the program. Occasionally there are conflicts with those classes and others the students need to take and sometimes students in my program have to take a “regular” class. This year the site as a whole has less sections of courses available which has exacerbated the problem of my students getting the program classes they need. Everything works out in the long run, but in the short term there are going to be several upset kids, with equally, if not more so, upset parents. We’ll do the best to accommodate them but this year is going to be a lot less flexible.

Perhaps my sense of forboding is the anticipation of school awaking from it’s hibernation. Once it wakes, it doesn’t rest until June. No information letters and more than usual scheduling issues will be but a distant memory in about a week. Overall, looking forward to going back. Every new day of teaching brings new challenges; no two days are ever alike. I’m ready!