Some nights I find it harder to get to sleep than others.
Tonight, apparently is one of them.
I had a leisurely morning, sorting assignments the kids had turned in this week and then starting to grade them. At least one assignment was nowhere to be found in the gradebook — had I assigned it in only one class, and only one child in that class did it? I changed it to an extra credit assignment and every kid who turns it in will get extra points.
At this time, ALL the assignments that have come in (with names on them) have been recorded. In my paper record which is looking shabby, and in the computerized gradebook. It would be a pain to re-enter if I had to, but I could if I had to!
I also had time to get to the classroom today for a couple hours, and with Matthew’s help rearranged the tables into rows. We’ll see if that makes it easier for the students to focus. And to see the boards that I usually work on. We also washed the tables…
Moving the tables means that I have to move the little cart I keep the computer on, which means that I might not be able to use the same set-up. I have only a 6-foot cable for the computer to connect to the projector, and no way to use the computer from the back of the room. I’ll go in tomorrow for a couple hours with Tom and get the rest of the room put in order. We’ll need to hit the ground running on Wednesday!
Yesterday, I spent several hours with Mother — an hour at Hancock Fabrics in Tacoma, and a couple at IKEA (Presidents’ Day weekend maybe wasn’t the best timing?). Got several items I wanted — a new duvet cover, a bistro table and two chairs for the garden, and another cart for the kitchen pantry. All but the cart were heavily discounted. All had been on my “wish list” for at least a year.
When I got back to the house on Frida after shopping with Mother (new shoes, new wristwatch, new fabric for a teaching vest), Tom and I worked in the garden for a while. Dug the last of the parsnips — a critter had eaten one almost to the top from the bottom! Quite a feat, considering the critter was probably two inches long and the parsnip was almost four inches wide at the top. It will be sad to find its kitchen missing.
We also planted some seeds: parsley, bok choi, and two kinds of basil. Hope they can grow faster than the baby slugs that are all over the yard!
Garlic is coming up in the garlic bed, the bulbs left behind because they were too small to harvest in the autumn. They’ll be a good size by next autumn!
So many things to do and see right now. Spring has come early, and I want to jump the gun and start turning the beds and planting things like carrots and cabbages, but perhaps turning the beds and doing soil tests will be enough for now. If I put some of the windows that are waiting for frames on the beds they will warm up faster and then we could plant earlier than in most years.
We have most of the laundry caught up now, I will want to iron a little bit in the next week or two. I also want to cut out the fabric for the new vest and get it ready to sew. And clean up a little bit in the living room. And maybe find a stack of pre-teen friendly books to take to the classroom. I’ll get some of these things at least partly done. The rest will wait for Spring break in another 5 weeks.
It’s nice to have an extended weekend to recharge, refuel and get ahead on some of the chores (school and home, both). It’s also going to be good to get back into the classroom when the weekend is over.
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