out with the old, in with the new...ugly style

well, on monday afternoon, i was forced to pack up my classroom like it was summertime. our entire school is having the carpet removed from our classrooms. it is being replaced with tile like the stuff that covered only about 1/6 of the classroom floor and all of the hallways. there is now a beautiful, two-square, forest green tile border between the old white tile and the new white tile.

classy, huh? to top that off, they aren't even gonna wax this floor until summer. talk about ugly.

it wasn't fun having my kids move everything around (see, I had to be ready for all of this at 2:45, the time the bell rings), and then sit on the floor for the rest of the afternoon. i guess maybe it could have been like a goodbye for them. sit on this nasty old carpet that you'll never see again.

the thing is, the carpet wasn't that bad and now i'm stuck with ugly white, bright tile that is hard and cold. it's too easy for the desks to move on (you know how i am about things being perfectly organized), it's too hard for the kids to sit on every morning during group time and every afternoon during stations. we don't even have a rug. sure, i could buy one from some great teacher supply store, but i don't really have $400 to spend on a rug for my classroom right now.

i guess i'll have to make due.

the kids actually handled everything okay today. they spent the day doing independent work and then afternoon stations while i put the room back together. it was stinkin ridiculous. could we not have waited for summer, or at least spring break, for this?!

anyway, i'm glad the whole process is over and i'm just hoping our principal will have mercy on our souls and give us some carpet. it's just too stinkin loud with 21 first graders and nothing to muffle the sound...