Yes, if you've been watching any Dallas news lately, that is indeed my school--Bennett Elementary--who had the sewage leak on Monday. Thanks to a clog on the City of McKinney's part, our toilets backed up on Monday at about 10:15am. The hallway leading down to the kindergarten pod had some seeping under walls, but first grade and STC got hit the hardest. Kinder was lucky (or so we thought...until today's drama) b/c it only came up a tiny bit in our bathroom drains...and it was completely contained to the tile in our bathrooms.
We were forced to pack up the kids and relocate to the cafeteria so we wouldn't be exposed to the fumes (or risk stepping in it while in the hallway). Monday was already crazy thanks to my first attempt at istation in the computer lab that morning...translated, "How quickly can you log on 17 kindergarteners TWO TIMES in the matter of an hour?" and then our modified Specials schedule thanks to the rescheduled Valentine's parties due to Friday being a snow day. Little did we know the drama was just beginning! On Tuesday morning, we got to school and had to cart everything we'd need for the day up to the library, where all five classes would somehow be squished in among the bookshelves. Every time I thought I was done, there'd be five more things I needed for teaching that day's lessons. Then we found out we'd be there Wednesday....and Thursday...
Fast forward to this morning... Faculty meeting at 8am. Surprise...ALL carpet from the entire hallway leading to kinder AND the kinder pod are having the carpets ripped out. So...we have to have our classrooms packed up and moved by 5pm. Needless to say, the other Stacey on my team burst into tears (the rest of us were not far behind!!) and my blood pressure shot through the roof. (Good thing I put on extra deodorant this morning!!) Our wonderful Specials teachers arranged for us to have the kids in their classes first thing, our fantastic administration got us subs from 12 on, and many fabulous teachers (who weren't even technically involved) came down to help during their planning times and/or sent their husband/boyfriend to help. I was especially grateful since I'm not allowed to lift virtually anything I needed moved.
So one move down...many more to go. Basically, we had to pack up everything that didn't fit in cabinets or on top of counters, but keep access to anything needed in the next five weeks or so. On Monday evening, we'll have to unpack and move from our temporary library home back into our rooms (minus the carpet) until Spring break. Then we'll have to repack anything that doesn't fit in cabinets or on counters AGAIN while they carpet over the break, and we'll come back in that weekend to set up our classrooms in an attempt at normalsy for the remainder of the school year. Let's just say I am so incredibly exhausted that I'm about to go shower and crawl into bed!!! I can't believe it's not Friday yet...
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Oh, my goodness! I totally feel your pain! Last year when Hurricane Ike made his appearance along the coast, the building where my classroom is at my school was badly damaged. After one week without electricity I had one day to pack my room and move everything to a MUCH smaller room in a different building. Then during the Christmas holidays I had to return to move my classroom back to its original building--without 1/2 of my room carpeted. Several days after my students returned, I had to pack and move things for the rest of the carpet to be installed. I was assured that my classroom would be back to normal when I got to school the next day, but of course it wasn't! Any other profession would be outraged, but as teachers, we just roll with it! We learn to be more than flexible!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! That IS a week from hell!! First of all, I can't imagine teaching kinder. Then to add all the moving and packing...ugh...I am sure it was chaos! I believe people who aren't teachers could never fully comprehend what this situation would look like! Come on Spring Break 2010!! :)
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