'on the count of three everybody run back to your fantasy'

the countdown to school is on. whereas in VA the first day is the day after labor day, here in NY the kids don't come back until thursday. tuesday and wednesday are teacher workdays. the only teacher workdays. to put in perspective, in VA as a new teacher, we had two weeks before the kids came back.

the nerves are starting to kick in now. i feel entirely unprepared. i have no textbook, no curriculum, no class lists, no bell schedules, no ANYTHING. i am trying to just go with the flow; this is simply how its done here and i need to acclimate myself to that. when i went in last week when my dad was here to bring in boxes of classroom stuff, i got the feeling from the administrators who were there that teachers showing up early was definitely not de rigueur. i would have liked to work then, spend a day or two getting my classroom together, but it didn't really seem like an option.

i am the only new teacher at my school this year. i don't mind flying under the radar a bit this year, but i don't want to be the forgotten soul, either. i'm coming into a very weird situation with it being the last year for this school to exist. i really feel like the new kid - all the students will know each other and the teachers and the teachers know each other and the students and i will know…no one. weird and intimidating and even a little scary.

i guess i dont know enough about how the disaster relief works to make an educated comment on whether the slow rate of progress has anything to do with anything other than the severity of the situation and the incredible number of people who need help. is it about bush hating black people, as suggested (but not originated) by kanye west? if a bunch of white people were trapped and without shelter, electricity, food, and water, would things be moving faster? i don't have answers. it does seem to me like progress in the hurricane and flood-ravaged areas is moving at a slow pace, but i don't know that i have any ideas on how to hasten the progress to ease the suffering i see each day on tv. as a bush non-fan i understand getting heated about something our fair leader is doing, but i don't know that for the rapper to make the little speech he did was during the middle of a relief benefit show was entirely appropriate. i'd hate to think someone would refrain from making a donation to the red cross because they were turned off by his outburst.