Classroom Stealer

This summer, when I received the phone call from my assistant principal telling me that I would be staying in my classroom and that I would teach the same grade level, I was ecstatic. I had been worrying over my situation for a while and this laid my fears to rest. I had been terrified that I was going to be moved to the 7th grade building. This was a valid fear as I teach 7th grade.

The 7th grade building should, in my humble opinion, be destroyed. It is ancient. The walls are covered with peeling paint and the ceilings leak. The AC units line the sides of the classrooms and make a horrible racket. The classrooms are 1/2 the size they need to be and all of the furniture in them is just as rickety and dirty. In some of the classrooms, the ceilings appear to be rotting and there is a pervasive moldy smell throughout the building. My neat-freakishness would have gone into overdrive and I would have probably cried if they had moved me into that building.

I almost danced with joy because I would not have to be in that building. When I arrived at my classroom last week, I was so excited to decorate it. I spent 8 hours straight working on it. The next 2 days, I spent every available moment cleaning, decorating, and re-arranging things so that they were perfect.

That's why I was shocked when I arrived on Wednesday to see another Language Arts teacher hyperventilating in the main office as I went to check in. The school secretary told me that the principal wanted to speak with me. I was beginning to get an idea of what was going on, but my mind still didn't acknowledge it. I remembered Rosie (the hyperventilating teacher) complaining about her classroom all last year. She said that it was giving her allergies and other various health problems.

I found the principal and the school secretary in an office and sat down to talk to them. The principal informed me that Rosie had asked that she and I switch classrooms due to her health problems. She asked if I would be willing to do this. I explained how hard I had worked on my classroom and that I really didn't want to do that. I feel very blessed to be able to say that she allowed me to keep my classroom and said that she would find another place for Rosie.

Unfortunately, Rosie is still complaining about her new classroom (it's still in the same old building), but I'm so glad to have my classroom still. I was actually pretty furious at Rosie for trying to steal my classroom. She claimed to have had an attack and that was why she was hyperventilating in the office, but she seemed fine for the rest of the workday other than her constant grumblings about not having gotten her way. Also, when I gently recommended that she attempt to clean her classroom if she was worried about the dust affecting her allergies, she exclaimed, "Why should I have to do that?" Geeze louise! I spent an entire WEEK scrubbing my current classroom from top to bottom last year. How dare she try to usurp my hard work and leave me with her grunge?!