Welcome to this week’s Sunday Post. This feature is brought to you by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, so swing by after you are done here and get the full list of participants!
- [2 Aug] #SundayPost: Hello August
- [3 Aug] Restraint by Adriana Locke ★★★½
- [4 Aug] Until Talon by Aurora Rose Reynolds ★★★★
- [7 Aug] #FreebieFriday: August 7th
- Back to Shore by Taylor Danae Colbert
- Any Day Now by Lani Lynn Vale
- Say No More by Karen Rose
I had my first week of work at the new school! Overall, I think it went well. I like my coworkers so far, and aside from one small panic attack, I had a good week. My class sizes are small (12 in two and 14 in two, and one class with 8), they use the same reading intervention program I am used to, and they use the same IEP software I am used to (and I love both these programs). Next week the students come back and I hope that will go as smoothly. It’s strange to be teaching in a rural district. I have spent the past 13 years in urban settings.
Because I have to have a mask on all day, I had to switch back to my contacts. I hate wearing contacts because my eyes are so sensitive, but it has to happen. Last week wasn’t terrible, but I switch back to my glasses as soon as I get home.
I’ve also found some masks I have that I like, and some I don’t. So I’m on the hunt! Sadly, I am incapable of sewing (one, I don’t have a sewing machine, and 2 I have been banned from ever using one since every time I tried I nearly broke them). A friend made me a couple and I really love the fit. I haven’t been able to find them already made anywhere! Sigh.
Wish me luck next week! My coworkers have started a pool to see how long we will be in school before we are shut down again (we had a teacher test positive on Friday; everyone who sat by them at all the district meetings and such has to get tested). I’m thinking it will be about 6 weeks before the cases get too high for us to continue.
So, whats new with you this week? Did you read any of the same books I did? Did you find any great book deals I need to grab ASAP? Let me know in the comments!
Yay!! I’m glad you had a good week and are liking the new school. Those numbers are fantastic for class size, especially for upper levels (I forget what grade you teach, but since you have multiple classes I know it’s not early childhood). I would have loved that size class in Kinder! I sure hope things go well and you stay healthy. But yeah, I think you’re right, the schools are not likely to last long.
Oh for masks – do you know Felicia the Geeky Blogger? She just opened an etsy shop for her masks. She’s really good. And my husband has found a few on Amazon he really likes (he has to wear them pretty much all day every day too).
Good luck next week and stay safe!! Hugs!
I am working with 7th graders! I’ve never in 14 years of teaching had a class this small. I’ve never had a caseload this small either (7).
Thanks for the tip about Felicia! I will check her out!
I have opted to keep my kids home this year, I will think about it in Jan if I want to send them to school.
I am the only one that wears a mask at work, it’s amazing how they just don’t think they need to wear one. I found a few masks on etsy that I liked. I do need to get a few more because I think they may be something we have to wear for the near future. Which makes sense if you are sick to no spread it.
What Berks said is true, I actually want to grab of few of Felicias also
Have a great week, Samantha! Happy Reading! xx
I’m glad your introduction to your new school has gone so smoothly, I hope it stays that way.
Perhaps you could ask your friend to make you a few more masks?
Wishing you a great reading week
Finding masks are hard….my work gave me some but they are ugly lol so I found some cute ones on Etsy. Glad to see that work went well for you. And those panic attacks are the worst. Hope this week is better for you Samantha.
Love seeing Wild Rain on the ARC’s you received, Hope you enjoy it.
I have been waiting to hear all about your new school. I’m excited that you are familiar with and love the softwares, the other teachers are nice and you have smaller class sizes. I still worry about COVID but perhaps rural is slightly better with less people / opportunities to spread it? How long is your commute? If rural, at least it might not be so much traffic? I await more news with anticipation. I wish you the best in this new job.
Thank you for those kind words!! Its about 40 min (which is at least as long as it was taking me to get into the city for my previous job because of traffic). The cases are much lower in the city the school is in because they are just a lot fewer people! I still think there will be a spike in cases no matter what because schools are a germ factory and kids just aren’t great about hygiene!
Sounds like a promising start. We got a few of the Vera Bradley masks which have pockets for filters, and I like them. Don’t know if you have tried those. Good luck! I hope you have wonderful groups of students and that everyone abides by the safety guidelines.
Glad to hear your first week well!
I’ve been wearing my contacts too, I prefer my glasses but of course they steam up though my mother in law recommends putting soap on them then wiping it off, not tried it yet!
Have a lovely week!
Yes, finding the right mask is important. I got ones with adjustable ear straps and built in nose guard so I could wear my readers! Glad the class sizes are small. and that you had a good week!
Glad to hear the first week went well. Yeah, I think they’ll shut it down eventually, too. There’s no way the virus won’t be spread with traditional schooling. This world is so crazy!
I’m glad that your school is nice and you enjoy your coworkers and the various programs the school uses. I hope that school goes well with the students back too. I don’t think schools will be open for too long – I just can’t see it going well with numbers rising everywhere and you can’t really social distance yourself a TON in a school setting. I hope you stay safe and healthy though!!!
-Lauren
I’m so glad the first week went smoothly. My fingers are crossed that this week will be the same when the kids come back. That’s great that the class sizes are so small. It’s kind of funny/not funny that y’all are placing bets on how long till school shuts down. It just seems kind of inevitable, doesn’t it?
I’m happy to hear you’re liking the new school (so far!) I hope the kids returning goes well. It will as strange for them to be back in the classroom as I’m sure it’ll be for teachers having them in the classroom… I’m with Tanya in that it’s both funny and not funny how bets are being placed on how long schools will remain open… What a world we’re currently living in!
A small panic attack in the first week of a new job (when there’s a pandemic and kids are potentially being sent back to school when said pandemic isn’t totally under control) is totally understandable. Glad to see it went well. Those are weirdly small class sizes but I suppose teaching in a more rural area it’s understandable, At least you’re familiar with the systems and readings.
I fel your glasses/contacts pain. I’ve seen some stuff online about tips to help with glasses steaming up with a mask, try a tissue within the mask (meant to stop the moisture) I’ve also seen someone about using soap and weater on your glasses but not sure how that one works.
Hopefully the return to school won’t be terrible but I will be itnerested to see how long it lasts, it’s like here, no one has high hopes for the return but our schools don’t reopen until September.
Have you tried daily contacts? They’re more expensive but my sister had to take that route because of an eye condition she has. She felt bad about the waste so we researched it and Bausch & Lomb has a program that allows you to recycle parts. I don’t remember if it was everything or the foils or the lenses or the little cups. but it was something.
I got a *really* comfortable mask from Vistaprint. It’s a little thin but it’s made to be used with some sort of filter. I think you can even cut a coffee filter to put in there! The fabric is soft and it’s so adjustable to fit my fairly small face!
Enjoy your week!