Yesterday morning was the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new construction. Our four displaced classes got to meet in their classrooms for the first time this year! It was so very exciting. This also meant that after care got to move out of the preschool room and back into our usual space–the stage and gym. Truth be told, I’ve been dreading this day.

I had a little more faith, though, when Little Miss Val brought me this at the beginning of after care (she sure knows how to make a teacher’s day!):

The kids love having the gym to run around in, but I lose a little control when we have that. It’s easier for them to get a little crazy and push my buttons. This is partly because there aren’t as many activity options, so they start making them up. This is good for their imaginations, but bad for rules and safety. For example, one of my third-graders, Rob, (who likes to pronounce that he’s bored, loudly and frequently) found a piece of PVC pipe yesterday after he was dropped off by his teacher. I told him he could have it and use it to create a piece of abstract art. His teacher responded to me, “I don’t know, that looks an awful lot like something that could be used as a weapon.”

I looked at him and said, “But he knows better than that, right Rob?”

“Yes, Miss Val. It won’t be a weapon.”

So, at about 4:30 p.m., I look out into the gym, and what do I see? My first-grade boy, Jack, has found a stick, and they’re playing swords. I told Rob to put the piece of pipe in his bag immediately, or I would confiscate it forever. This led to about 10 minutes of, “But it wasn’t my fault! I was just defending myself!” I explained that he’s the older and wiser of the two boys, and he should have called me immediately, and I just kept getting the irrational, “But it wasn’t my fault! I was just defending myself!” I finally went to grab the pipe, and he put it away.

Then I got to listen to 20 minutes of “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do. I hate after care.” I gave him about 15 different activities he could be doing, but those were all “stupid.”

Other than that little encounter, the afternoon went fairly well. The preschoolers have so much fun riding the tricycles around the gym. The older kids threw a Frisbee for a while too, and no heads were hit (including mine), so we’ll put that in the win pile.

Fortunately, I can close off the gym. There is a curtain between the stage and the gym, and I think that I will continue the strategy I enforced yesterday–the gym is not open until after the day’s activity is completed.

Yesterday was Monday–Craft Day. I decided that we needed to do some decorating of the walls, since they are white and bare. In every free second yesterday, I cut out giant leaves for the kids to decorate. I then cut up squares of construction paper and put out markers and crayons. I told them to decorate the leaves however they liked, then go stick them onto the wall to make a great big pile of leaves. At the end of the day, there was no longer a blank white wall. Instead it had been transformed into a colorful art wall…

So, all in all, my fears are dissipating, and I’ll work hard over the next couple of weeks to really make the space ours. I’ve got great activities planned this week (check back for an Imagination Day you won’t want to miss!), which will help. It is good to be back in our space. Mostly, though, I’m thrilled that all of the other teachers have their spaces. It’s been such a challenge on everyone’s patience–including the kids. Hopefully this is the beginnings of a great rest of the year!