Moving in at CVA

I’m all moved into my new apartment at Carrabassett Valley Academy. I wasn’t 100% excited about living in the dorm building with students, but I’m growing comfortable with that concept. I prefer privacy and a clear conclusion of my duties once the workday is over. I’m not sure how some of my duties will look yet. However, I’m going into the year with an open mind.

I’m sitting in my classroom. Twelve chairs signify what will likely be my largest class size. How nice that’ll be! Today, I’ve hung up posters of sentence structures and maps of the continents. I’ve planned out sufficiently for at least three weeks in two of my three classes. My drive to work helps when I sit in the classroom. The windows are open to let in that cool mountain air and I can see blue skies now. It’s a lovely day here.

I have two large bulletin boards in the rear of the classroom. I will use one for my English class and the other for Social Studies. I’ll pin up student work there. For now, the maps and “parts of a sentence” posters are all that adorn the walls. Civil War paintings and books are joining the mix soon. I need a bookshelf or two.

I also took today sorting through the resources in my classroom. There are plenty of worksheets, readings, and slideshow notes. Much of those I won’t use, but I’m saving some that speak to me. The point is reached where I must focus on creating the actual documents students will use. It certainly takes time to produce each one. Teachers understand this. It can take 20 minutes to an hour or more to produce instructions, rubrics, and supporting pieces. I’m getting there.

My apartment is quite nice. Each room has a good size to it. I particularly appreciate the kitchen size and the openness of the living room. The fridge doesn’t quite shut. I found that kicking the bottom solves the issue more or less. Yesterday was my first full day here. I unpacked all my books and organized the rooms. It’s amazing how much stuff I have! Over the next few months, I’d like to sort through and get rid of things I don’t use. For now, the boxes are emptied and it’s time to decorate a bit. My boss said, “Keep it to a minimum”… just a few posters and paintings. It’s my home for at least a year, so it should look nice.

I like the apartment. It’s an adjustment to have the nearest affordable grocery store 45 minutes away in Farmington. There’s the Mountainside Grocer, but it isn’t for teachers on a low salary. And the IGA-style store in Kingfield isn’t too much better. It’ll take some getting used to being out in the middle of not much. But it’s something I wanted! Periodic visits to Farmington will grow my appreciation for human consumption.

In the weeks and months to follow, I hope to maintain this blog. I’m nervous it will fall to the wayside as my teaching and dorm duties take precedence. My plan is to take one day a week to write a couple of posts so I have some backups. I’m excited to teach again. I’ve been able to design the courses from scratch. That’s great, but it is an undertaking for sure. I’m about ready to wrap it up for the day. I’ll continue preparations tomorrow as well as find a new doctor, dentist, and optometrist. Busy days ahead!