Cleanin' time

Well, it's approaching that time of year, and once again I am back at school a week before teachers' official first day. The reason: to clean the old classroom. Sure we have custodians, but believe it or not they are overwhelmed with more important building maitenance issues. The whole school is older than I am (not by much, dangit) and long overdue for renovations. A teacher desiring more than empty trash cans and vacuumed floors must tackle the job herself. Me, I only do it once a year, so I don't complain about it too much. I tell myself that end result is worth the psychological boost.

The problem is that the I'm in a temp dating back to who knows when. Though it has windows, a gift to compensate for the unmistakable, unshakable dank temp odor that is impossible to get rid of, the grates on the outside to protect the glass from, say a brick being thrown through it. They are truly uncleanable from the outside, but I manage an okay job on the inside. So, no matter how spiffy the inside is, the view is--how shall I describe it--slightly opaque. The blinds are cracked and stained, but I still go through the ritual taking them home for a Clorox soak in my bathtub. (Does that mean that my standards are high or low? What would the demagogues of No Child Left Behind say? Hmm. . .)

I also dust and kick out the spiders. Mind you, I am a live-and-let-live individual. I usually co-exist with spiders as long as they aren't poisonous. However, allow a distractable middle school student to catch sight of any little beastie, and even the best planned lesson takes a back seat. I sometimes wonder if everyone has ADD.

I create a somewhat new look by putting up posters. I shelve books that have been stored for the summer. I rearrange the desks to give it a new feel. This year's bonus, thanks to voters and the custodians: the old green chalk boards are history and I have new white boards! Woo-hoo! Who'da thought something so simple would give me so much optimism.

Now, do not interpret this cleaning madness as anything more than beginning-of-the-year teacher nesting syndrome. It evokes the same feeling I get after taking a long soak in the tub and crawling into a freshly-made bed with new, clean linens. It doesn't happen often, but it sure feels fine. Without the back-to-school clean I would be disorganized, confused and stressed. Ahhh. . .