Ca-pi-tol! Ca-pi-tol!

So as much as we all love vacation, sooner or later we have to go back to work. (Back-to-liiife. Back-to-re-a-lity!) Because of the new coaching position I took at Capitol I started even earlier than usual this summer. But hey, I can't complain- I still had about a month off. And I had plenty of fun and lots of time for productivity and relaxation. Usually I'm eager to get back to work to see everyone and get into the routine of things again; but this year I have such mixed feelings. I'll make more money, no complaints there, but I know I'll just miss teaching my little kinder kiddos so much!

I remember the day Mr. Sanders stalked me out to the parking lot to offer me the Reading First coaching position. He asked if I had my Masters and I told him I did. Then he asked if I would be interested in being the Reading First Coach- I wasn't. Unfortunately, I wear my heart on my sleeve (which tends to get me into all sorts of trouble by the way) and couldn't help but make a disgusted face. I think there may have been somewhat of a gagging noise well. It took me awhile to come around and then, about 4 weeks later, I accepted the offer. It felt like I was selling my soul to the devil himself. If you've taught under Reading First, you know what I'm talking about.

This last week and a half I spent a lot of time packing up my room. I hadn't thought twice about it before, but the day I went to start boxing stuff up I realized that that wasn't my classroom anymore and I got kinda teary-eyed. I wasn't part of The Dream Team or The Fantastic Four...I wasn't going to be across the activity center from Anna. I was going to be in- an office.
I just love our little kinder pod. If you've never been to my work it's probably different from most schools you've seen. We have four classrooms that open up to a huge common area, a.k.a. the activity center. Because we each have only three walls, we can see each other as we teach. At first I thought that would be a little unnerving, like I was in a fishbowl with everyone watching my every move. But really, it has just made us really close. Even more than the kids I know I will miss working so closely with my team.

But accepting this job and packing up my classroom has only reminded me of how extremely BLESSED I've been in my career. I remember when I first started at Capitol I didn't even have a teachers' desk. Then a couple months later we got a huge landslide of dinero from the State. Apparently they hadn't been reimbursing Phoenix Elementary School District for all day Kindergarten for the past up-teenth years. We had $164,000 to spend at our school alone. We ordered anything and everything you could ever want and our classrooms became every kindergarten teacher's dream. As a first year teacher that was definitely cool. Then, Jen's mom retired from the classroom and gave me everything she had ever created or acquired in all her years of teaching Kindergarten. Thanks again Margaret!

Even more than all the material stuff, I've been blessed to work with AMAZING people. I've considered Anna, Xochitl, Eliza, Kristin and Linda as some of my closest friends. We've shared joys, successes, crazy quirky moments, and many, many tears. And then, somehow, I've managed to impress my principal and the people up at District. Debbie Ortiz, director of Language and Literacy, made my day when she said that she's going to miss seeing me teach and that it always made her day happy when she got to observe my room. Wow! What a compliment! I didn't even realize she knew who I was! Then she said she was planning on enrolling her grandson at Capitol this year so that he could be in my class--- dodged that bullet! When she held our first coaches meeting she just went on and on about my teaching techniques. I felt a little sheepish with all of my 3 1/2 years of experience, in a room full of veteran coaches with 20 or more years of teaching under their belts. So, ya, I've been greatly blessed and veeeery lucky!