in-box, out-box

Every year my classroom seems to acquire more STUFF. At first, none of it was my stuff--it was old stuff from the former teacher, who left me boxes and boxes of student portfolios because he thought it would be "helpful" (aka didn't want to move it) and books upon books of teaching manuals, ideas, materials, etc., the usefulness (or not) and necessity (or not) unknown to me at the time. So I kept them. In the closet, in the filing cabinet, in dust-covered piles.

Now I've managed to throw away most everything that I haven't bought, collected, or made myself, and the formerly empty bookshelves are brimming over with novels and books just waiting to be chosen. It's a library. It's MY library.

The organization has changed, too: I have a system for attendence (yippee!!), for turning in papers, for missed work, for sharpening a pencil, for going to the bathroom, for keeping papers in the room. Yes, it's taken me two years; no, it's not perfect, but the systems are there.

And when I left my classroom today for the last time until Monday, when 120 new seventh graders will see it for the first time, I felt (wait for it...) proud and excited. Like it's going to be a good year. Like I wouldn't have to spend my Sunday night frantically making copies at Kinko's and worrying about how I'll convince people that I know what I'm doing.

Heck, maybe I'll even turn in a lesson plan or two.

(But probably not.)