Saturday, August 25, 2007

Kindergarten and Graduate School

Deep breath. I've spent the past hour working on setting up my online course shell as my class, the Episcopal Ethos, will be made accessible for students on Monday. Monday is also the sweet girl's first day of kindergarten here at home.

You can see why I'm taking deep breaths, I think! The school year is really and truly about to start, in a big way. And for the first time ever, I will be teaching both kindergarten and graduate school in the same semester. A unique privilege and perhaps a bit of a challenge. I hope I'm up to it!

D. is actually out right now buying us a desk. This is a purchase we've agonized over...it was one of those things we really felt we couldn't do without as we try to organize our space for fall, but it's also something we can't afford. We looked at some used furniture but couldn't find just the thing we needed to fit the back corner of the living room, which is where the desk (and the computer) will be going, thus freeing up my dining room table once more for school projects by day and for dinners (if we so choose) by night. We finally found a desk that's being discontinued at Staples. And I really like it. Most office furniture you buy on the cheap *looks* cheap -- like plastic sort of coating over plywood -- but this is real varnished wood. It's a wider grain than I might have chosen, but I'd rather have a real, rougher looking wood than a fake sort of smooth plastic. The size is right; it has some good storage overhead, and it will fit in the corner. And it only costs $80 -- I say that with gritted teeth and the awareness that $80 to us right now feels more like $800. But it has to be done, and this seems to be the most painless way to do it.

So I'll be spending the rest of the weekend, when not in church or hosting our youth fellowship group, either cooking; revising, posting and re-arranging documents for my online course; readying the sweet girl's school supplies in her new purple pencil box; or cleaning out the living room corner for the new desk.

Here comes Monday!

4 comments:

Erin said...

Hope it was a good first day! It was also my dad and brother's first day back. School is in the air... It must be an odd juxtaposition, teaching kindergarten and grad school at the same time!

knittingmama said...

beth, I have some furniture in storage i may have something you can use

Beth said...

Yeah, it is a bit odd...the whole educational spectrum! But I like it, at least so far! We had a great first day. Happy almost-fall! (Don't you feel like buying new notebooks and pens? I always want to this time of year!)

Beth said...

Barbi, thanks for the offer but the desk is here and assembled! In fact, I am already typing in my 'new space' and I like it! We couldn't shoehorn another thing in here right now...in fact, I am working on getting rid of some stuff. Now that my study is out of my dining room, it helps. :-)