September - New place, new experiences, new challenges -- I CAN do this!

Once I returned from retreat, I really hit the ground running. At that point, I hadn't even seen the school yet, so I really wanted to start getting ready. The first weekday after retreat, I saw my classroom and got the books and resources that I needed to plan. Then I worked on decorating the room, getting the bulletin boards up and the furniture where I wanted it. Once the room looked good, I took a look at what I would be teaching.

At this point, we started a week of meetings and other teacher gatherings. I was glad to attend the first one, which was about the technology that we use to do a lot of things at this school. I had a lot of questions! I got answers, and extra help getting started with it all. We had a retreat day at the central convent out here, which was lovely. I had been practicing with the choir for days and we sang at Mass that day. There was a teacher workshop and a faculty meeting, too, that week, so I got a lot of information, as you can imagine! I also spent extra time getting to know the web sites and databases that I will be using.

I've certainly been busy with school, as we start up after Labor Day. But I also have been setting up new doctors out here and going to see them and trying to get a spiritual director. One of my retreat resolutions was to be more balanced, so I also have been taking time to pray, relax, exercise, and be social. Remaining centered has helped me to come this far in my preparations and to keep perspective.