New Job Fun!

Ok, so I knew last weekend was going to be busy, but I had no idea! I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since last Thursday, and I'm not anticipating a break until Thanksgiving. It's okay, though. Things might have been busy, but they have also been great! Hmmmm, where should I start....

Baby Lyla, right before the wedding.

Last Thursday morning, I was continuing GO! Gymnastics Week, at Kenwood Gymnastics, which was hugely successful. I was carrying the kids back into the gym, after their play time on the bus, when I got a text from the principal at my new school. "Hey! Your paperwork came through. Do you want to start today?" "Ummmm..... Crap!" was the thought, running through my head. I was in St. Louis Park, in my coaching clothes, and my teaching job was in Forest Lake! I replied that I'd be there in an hour, frantically drove home, ran inside, changed clothes and tried to make myself look presentable, and raced out to Forest Lake. I met a lot of my students, and had a chance to get to know the people I will be working with on a regular basis. It was kind of a crazy way to start a job (with an hour's notice), but I'm glad I started when I did! I worked another half-day on Friday, because my dads got married on Friday night. My sister came in town with my new niece, Lyla, and between meeting my niece, and getting the chance to be part of the wedding, it was an overwhelming and exciting day. By bedtime, we were all ready to crash, but I had trouble falling asleep, because I think I was just so wound up by the craziness of the week, and the anticipation of the weekend.

Bruce, the creepy doll!

On Saturday, we had a pretty packed schedule. I'd told my sister in advance that I would get her where she needed to be while she was in town. She doesn't come home from Florida very often, and this was going to be such a short visit, she had a lot to accomplish in a short time. So, we started with breakfast at my mom's, followed by some errand running and a visit with her mother-in-law. Then, we went from there to lunch at my dad's house. It was nice to visit with family, and relax. While we were at my dad's house, someone brought up Bruce, the doll. "Bruce," is an extremely creepy, life-sized doll, that my mom had when she was a little girl. The doll is from the 1950s, and it survived two generations of women in my family (except the right leg, that falls off regularly). In high school, my girlfriends (who actually named the doll), always talked about how creepy it is. We enjoyed scaring the last person to the house, by hiding it in random locations around my basement. Anyway, at the mention of Bruce, my older sister and I decided to prank our younger sister, who would be coming to my place that night. We dressed Bruce up, placed her on my toilet seat, and chased after my sister as she walked into the bathroom. It was classic. I'd share the video of her reaction, but I'm not sure she'd appreciate it. Here's the funny part. What I did not think through, was the fact that bringing Bruce to my house meant BRUCE WOULD BE AT MY HOUSE! Crap. While I managed to scare my sister once, I did not anticipate scaring myself a half a dozen times in the course of three days. I tried to hide the doll in Charley's closet, so she would be out of the way, but Charley screamed, "NO!!! Don't put Bruce in there!" Oh, Bruce. Creepy and frightening for three generations.

Yesterday, I coached some private lessons and taught a birthday party on the bus. These birthday parties are a lot of fun, and they seem to be picking up quite a bit. Sunday's party was a potential mess, though! We didn't receive the address information, even after several e-mails to the parents, so up until 20 minutes prior to the party, we didn't know if we were actually going to be hosting a birthday! At 10:40, the mom finally called with the address for an 11:00 party, and we raced to get there. It was a fun party, but I really didn't like how rushed it felt. Oh well, the birthday girl was happy, so I can't ask for much more!

Cousins!

So, today was my first full day at the school, and I loved it. I still don't have my own classroom yet, but I got to meet with all of the kids on my caseload, and kind of figure out what makes them tick. They really are great kids, and I'm lucky to be in the school I'm in. I like the teachers, too! Minnesota Nice  does exist. All of the people I work with have reached out, introduced themselves, and tried to make me feel welcome in the school. It's a nice feeling. I think my favorite moment of the day came from one of my students who's working on social skills. He came into the room, and my co-worker introduced me. She referred to me as "Ms. P," and the student started to laugh. *Sidenote: My last name is still Pierron on legal documents, which is why they don't call me Ms. Kaplan, and the kids still have trouble saying it, so Ms. P is just easier. Anyway, he giggled, and then immediately turned to me and said, "I need to get a little more mature. I'm at the ending stage of the anal phase of development..." at which point my co-worker cut in and let him know that he didn't need to talk about that phase in school. I'm glad she did, because it gave me a chance to turn away and not look directly at him as I giggled to myself. It was definitely the best comment of the day...And it has felt wonderful to be back in a school setting. I kind of feel like I belong there. The sad news is that working at the school will take away from me working at the gym. I truly love coaching, and I hate to have to take away from that. But I think being in the classroom is a fit for me, right now. I can already tell I'm in the right place.

More to come soon!