What a Grand Grand Opening

This week has been one for the books.


Upon returning to work Monday morning I started feeling a bit congested and sneezy. By Tuesday, it was a full-blown, first-of-the-season cold. Ugh. I have not gotten sick in quite a while, and now I get a stomach flu virus and a cold within two weeks of each other. Needless to say, I could not take any time off yet (sub plans are NOT in the stars this early), so I toughed it out (miserably, I might add).

The whole week, the school is in chaos as we are preparing for the Grand Opening celebration on Thursday night. No one knows exactly what's going on, as the network has taken over the preparations, but we know it's going to be HUGE. By Wednesday afternoon, there are people running through the hallways laying enormous electrical cords, covering emergency lights and setting up other sorts of lighting. On Thursday, our wonderful director calls me into his office to ask if I would be willing to speak to the news cameras if they ask. Whoa. So much for keeping under the radar this year. Mind you, I still have a horrible head cold - which I jokingly bring up. In the end, I concede and walk away wondering how this is all going to shake down.

The evening rolls around and it is downright chilly. Eric comes down around 5:00 in hopes of missing traffic, and we go get a quick dinner. The program doesn't start until 7:00, so we just hang out in the general area until the big wigs start showing up. Mayor Rahm Ehmanuel. Governor Pat Quinn. Numerous Senators and Representatives. Aldermans from a 1/2 dozen districts. I was "assigned" to the 8th grade girl saying the pledge of allegience to help calm her nerves and help her practice. Consequently, I was right in the middle of all this madness. It was pretty damn cool. I stayed behind stage with her and talked to every big wig that came by and offered her a "good luck - you'll do fine."

FINALLY, at 7:30 the show starts. The Director is more animated and inspiring than I've ever seen him, followed by the boy scouts raising the flag and Alejandra saying the pledge. The music teacher's professional Mariachi band begins to play the national anthem as a crystal clear tenor voice flows over the crowd. The crowd is silent, facing the flag with every single hand covering their hearts. When the music ends, the crowd explodes into applause and the Director steps down. The next hour consists of big wigs talking, saying thank you to other big wigs and finally leading up to the Governor's speech. By this point, it's so cold and has been so long that I don't remember what is said.

Mr. CEO takes the mic back and begins to explain how when UNO celebrates something they do it in a BIG way (boy, he's not kidding). He asks the crowd to turn toward the building and the lights go down. What follows next is the most impressive grand opening for a school I have ever seen. Smoke, light show, confetti streamers shoooting out into the crowd. Then finally, lights on the roof, followed by another round of smoke, and a pretty impressive fireworks display, all done to heart-thumping house music. The crowd went crazy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO2b0jpIRec

After all is said and done, we all go to our classrooms and they open up the school to the 500+ people that are still there. Inside, all our rooms are immaculate, and they have a videor looped in every classroom of the 100 parents that petitioned the capital for 6 weeks in order to get the money used to build this school. Finally, at 10:00 we are so exhausted that we call it a night and head to our homes. What a grand, Grand opening.

http://www.wbez.org/story/shiny-charter-school-southwest-side-92058

http://dimitrephotography.smugmug.com/EventsUNO/UNO-Soccer-School-Opening/19053842_4gTm2C#1481821995_kbq7dnx

Good and bad. But mostly good.

This week has been one of the most exhausting weeks I have had in recent memory. To the nature of starting a barnd new school, we have all been working non-stop from 7:30 - 3:30 with about a 5 minute lunch and only 1 prep the entire week. I was so physically drained yesterday, that I passed out on my bed, fully-clothed as soon as I walked in the door. The balls of my feet have been swollen for two days, making walking quite difficult. Trying to solely entertain 8th graders for 8 hours a day is absolutely exhausting.

However, despite all of these thins, I cannot believe the difference in the school, the staff, the attitudes and the administration. My director has been in my room three times this week already. Twice, he took time to talk to the kids and get to know them a bit. He established expectations in regards to dress code and instantly picked out my "problem boys," making sure that they know who he is. All of our teachers are on the same page in regards to uniform, discipline and behavior in the hallway. My teaching partner is struggling, but looking for help and actually using the advice given.

As exhausted as I am, I cannot even begin to express what a difference this school is. It's everything we wanted the Don to be, but for some reason just could not pull it off. Is it the red tape? The public school system? The government? Administration? Teachers? I am beginning to think it cannot be nailed down to one single thing. So many things have gone awry in our public school system, and all we continue is put a bandaid on a pulsing artery. Where do we begin to fix the heart of the problem? Does the state make the changes, or the national government? Is deregulation the answer? It seems to be working for this charter network.

Encouraged.

Today was the first day. The first day of school in a new city, a new school, with new colleagues and new kids. Surprisingly, it went very well. I must admit, however, I have not been that harried before a first day of school since my first day of teaching. Ever. No copies made until first hour prep, due to the lack of a copy machine this past week and over the weekend. Coffee spilled all over my brand new pants suit, and leaving quite a bit of stuff in my car due to lack of time to carry it to my room before having to be at duty THIRTY minutes before anticipated. Yet despite all of the setbacks, I would say things were successful and I am feeling very much encouraged. Completely and utterly exhausted, but encouraged.

I only have two classes, to whom I am teaching both reading and writing to. This being my fifth year, I am really trying to steer my instruction in a different direction. I am trying to delve deeper into both areas than I have in the past. Of course this means more work for me, but to be honest, I'm feeling inspired enough lately, that I don't mind this extra work. I want to be the best version of myself over the next 10 months. I don't want to look back at myself in June and not even recognize the person I have become.

For the first time in a long time, I feel that I can fully support the vision of this network and understand the goals they have set up in order to be successful. I feel as if they are doing things the RIGHT way. It's nice to work in a place that makes me feel this way. Who knows what next month will hold, but right now I am proud to be a part of this school and network.