"One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries." - Winnie the Pooh.
Shortly after midnight, I awoke to the wonders of 2016. I've never been a big New Year's Eve celebrator, and last night was no exception, so a bedtime before midnight shouldn't come as a surprise to those who know me well. The concussion confusion continues, particularly when I'm surrounded by combinations of music and multiple conversations, so I opted out of the gracious invitations to celebrate with friends.
Shortly after midnight, I awoke to the wonders of 2016. I've never been a big New Year's Eve celebrator, and last night was no exception, so a bedtime before midnight shouldn't come as a surprise to those who know me well. The concussion confusion continues, particularly when I'm surrounded by combinations of music and multiple conversations, so I opted out of the gracious invitations to celebrate with friends.
I spent the evening cleaning and organizing my sewing space, discovering all sorts of projects - some started, some merely stacks of patterns and fabric, waiting to be made. I emptied the closet, and baskets, and boxes, and, well, all sorts of containers, working my hardest to make sense out of what I'd stashed away at some previous time. Maybe 2016 will be the year where I finally know where everything has a place, and I remember where that place actually is. For during the purge, I found not only Bruce's birthday present, but the elusive Claude Girioux ornament for Kristin that has been MIA since Christmas 2014.
There's nothing like a brain injury to force one into organizing for the sake of sanity. Suffice it to say, there are now piles for donation, piles that have been bagged and hauled out to the trash, and a significant pile of things to go to school on Monday.
Yes, school.
Resolutions and Inspirations...
About a week ago, I discovered the Teacher Resolutions from the folks at thepensivesloth.com. A number of the resolutions resonated with me -- particularly #4 - I will resist the urge to shove things into drawers and cabinets, because doing so is not the same as "organizing" my classroom."
I gotta say, in my own defense, that sometimes this allegedly bad habit can lead to some amazing inspiration. It's easy, halfway through the year, to look at the second semester as that old line, "2nd verse, same as the first," and simply change the dates on the lesson plans from the first semester, reteaching the same lessons in the same old way. Much like the excitement of unwrapping Christmas gifts on the 25th of December, I've discovered new inspiration in the stashes in my sewing room -- and am actually looking forward to digging through some cabinets at school to see what surprises await.
I'm excited to return to school full time on Monday, for the first time since September. I've got that Labor Day feeling - sketching out the future, and refining the past, which is an unusual feeling to have in the dead of winter. I've never been the countdown person (see Resolution #12), but it's mostly because I 1)LOVE MY JOB, and 2) am not organized or mathematical enough to keep accurate count.
So January begins, and my heart is just a bit more excited about getting back to the classroom. For there is only one thing for teachers that is more exciting than the infinite possibilities of teaching every single day - and that would be the giddy anticipation of the winter right of passage - a 2 hour delay, when we breathe, seek further inspiration on Pintrest, and clean out a few closets or drawers in search of more things to box up and take to school. After all, the classroom is truly my second home.
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