Week One

We made it! The first week of chaos is complete. The schedules were not finished, the classrooms were not finished, and the expectations were not clear, but Naomi and I preformed admirably. All of my lessons went quite well except for one class - the same class that everyone else had trouble with. Organizationally, we got off to one of the worst starts possible. I feel bad for the new teachers. Quite the first impression...

Naomi and I made a deal with each other. We decided that we would work until 5 every school day. Most teachers leave or socialize by around 4 (but they might be doing their prep work at home). We decided that if we were done with our work, we would hang out with the other colleagues until 5. If we were not done at 5, then the work would simply not be finished. This is especially important for Naomi because she has much more responsibility than time. We decided that to keep from burning out, days off need to stay school-free and work will not be done at home. I hope this works out; I think it will.

Outside of school, the house is getting into order. I feel like we need about a whole extra week of summer vacation to finish all the things we want to do. Last weekend we made a start, and will continue things today, but there also needs to be time for rest! The problem is, I simply don't have a settled feeling yet, and I don't think I will until many things are finished.

Last weekend we grilled up a whole heap of hamburgers to fill the freezer.

Lighting the grill.

Making the neighbors jealous.

A real cigar handmade on a small farm in the mountains - thanks Clifton!