Teacher's Orientation

Tuesday.
I was up early, and I was dreading every minute of today.
At 9:00 am, I called the teacher who had taught my class last year to ask her some questions. While I was questioning her, she mentioned that she was looking for a literary terms sheet. Guess if she's going to be using mine this year? You got it.
And I even sat on the computer for an hour revising it...Again. I can't believe myself sometimes.
Well anyway, the teacher's thing started at 10 , and it was the most stupid, nerve-wracking thing I have ever been to.
I listened to a boring speaker for about an hour, then the principal spoke.
This lady...Sometimes I wonder if she has a life other than school. She said she had read about 40 books this summer and come up with "fantastic" programs for the kids. Guess if it all ultimately falls onto the teacher's shoulders?
It does.
I'm thrilled. I feel like I'm being choked. I came here to teach, NOT run an institution. I sometimes get a little confused when she talks. I don't know how it makes sense that I should be teaching these kids new things that I've never evev learned.
I don't mind reading an educational book occasionally, but I have the feeling that this principal expects us all to be like her. There is no way in the world that I am going to be able to accomplish everything she has set out for me to do. I was warned that this school really bogs down their teachers, but I had no idea it would be anything like this!!
But after the meeting, the teachers all said, that they didn't either have any idea of what she was talking about, and that she always spoke a lot, but it wasn't really this bad.
Whew!
Then we went down to the most gorgeous teacher's room I have ever seen, ate something, and watched a dumb video that was at least 20 years old about being consistent in the classroom.
All the time, I was busy looking at my watch, I had my dentist appointment at 3:15, and in order to get there on time, I really had to be out of there by 2:30.
The principal was having another meeting with the first year teachers, but I had already told her that I couldn't make it, and I ran out of there.
I stopped briefly on the way downstairs to introduce myself to the high school principal, and then I flew out the door.
Now I was in a dilemma, I had no car to get to my appointment. My husband had the car, and he works on the other side of town. There was no way I would have time to get there, pick up the car, drive to the dentist (who was way, way on the other side of town,)and still be there on time.
But my sister in law came to the rescue, she was going to the neighborhood where my husband works, and she gave me a lift.
My husband was already waiting outside with the keys for me, and I ran to the car. It was 10 to 3.
By the time I got to the dentist's place, it was 3:15, and it took me about 20 minutes to find parking. I'm a total stickler for coming on time, and I didn't even have the dentist's number to call and tell him that I'd be late.
(It's a long story, my cellphone fell on the floor, the screen broke, and since all my numbers were saved to my phone as opposed to my sim card, I lost all my numbers.)
The phone still worked though, so I called my husband frantically to see if he would call the dentist for me, but he insisted that it would be fine, the dentist knew him for years, and he was always late, the dentist expected that already.
I wasn't so sure, but I made him stay on the line with me anyway to calm me down until I found parking.
I should mention that I'm a new driver, and that my parking skills...Well, they leave much to be desired...
I finally found parking, ran three blocks to the dentist, came panting into the waiting room, only to find out that because I was late, they had cancelled my appointment.
They wanted to reschedule, but I was devastated, I was just not having a good day. I called the husband, and he said that there was no way in the world this was going to happen. He called the dentist on the other line while I waited anxiously on hold.
Turns out, the dentist had no clue who I was, because my file was under my maiden name, not my married one. Had he known who I was, he would've expected me to be late just like my husband!
So he was nice about it, he took me in, and guess what? I didn't need a root canal after all! The medication helped, and all I needed was a filling.
I asked the dentist to put as little novocaine as possible, I really need my mouth for tomorrow...
Anyway, I had a rushed night. We bought supper, ran to visit someone in the hospital, came home late, and I still had to prepare for school.
It's pretty late now, I hope I'm prepared...The novocaine wore off already, and I just have to get some sleep.
My stomach is now a knot of nerves.