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So now re-reading my post from last night, I'm kind of embarrassed by how consumed I was with all the material things in my classroom. I think really what I was trying to say, was that as a teacher, our classroom is our home away from home. We sometimes spend more time during the day with other people's children than with our own families. So we try to make our room like home, comfortable, interesting, engaging, inviting...we want to feel as comfortable as we try to make the students. We not only have materials and supplies to help make our teaching effective, but also done one section of the room with personal things, awards, certificates, degrees, notes from students and parents, pictures of family, friends, and kids, things that make you feel like you are a little more okay with spending time away from your own child.

So when I entertained the thought that all that could be lost, I truly felt like my house burnt down. Still though, they are ALL material things that can be replaced, and I am so VERY grateful that no one was at the school. I keep thinking just how lucky we were that this didn't happen with students sitting in the seats that are now covered in ash, insulation, and ceiling tiles. Imagine if we were trying to read a story and we had to evacuate and all watch it happen together. I think that of all teams for this to happen to at Rivera, 5th grade is the MOST collaborative and cohesive, we all consider each other to be good friends. We are all going to help each other out with all that has happened.

We were told that we are not starting the year in our rooms, so that should be VERY interesting. We are going to temporarily be in other rooms, the library, the MPR, or whatever else space is around. Good news is, maybe there won't be such high expectations of what my room should look like when kids walk in!

This morning Joe went to buy a newspaper, but there wasn't anything about it in there. I'm sure it will be there tomorrow or Sunday? So we went up there at about 9 this morning to check things out. We were able to pull into the school on the playground, so Joe let Sammy run around outside while I went in and looked at all the damage. The custodians were there on their day off, hosing off desks and chairs so they can store them in the MPR. Three district people were there, who walked me to my room and told me not to look at the other ones...YEAH RIGHT! I wanted to see! When I walked in my room, it is pretty much intact! However, REAKS of SMOKE!!! I have REALLY bad smoke damage. I asked them what exactly that means and they said that I can't take anything that has smoke because I will just move the smell from one room to another! That's pretty much EVERY book that I own, the fabric that is on the desks, the curtains in the window, the carpet, the pillows for my library...all needs to be trashed! They said that I am going to have a chance on Monday and Tuesday to go through everything and make of list of the loss. Apparently the district is going to reimburse us for all that we have lost, which is good news, because I think my classroom library that the kids use is more than $1000 in books! I am going to take my personal things, pictures, frames, refrigerator, microwave, etc....and maybe keep in my garage until we figure things out.

I got to go in and take pictures of what things look like. Standing on the playground, looking at the rooms, this is where the fire was.

This is the room from the inside, Stefanie's room. It had the worse damage. They broke windows, and tore hole in the ceiling. You can see the sky from her room.

My room looks okay, just REALLY stinks!

My Promethean board and "teacher area", with all my personal things.

They stared to move out alot of Amanda's things, she has the classroom right next to mine.

Books were soaked and damaged, so they set them all out on the planter to air dry. Maybe we can salvage them?

While I was taking pictures Joe was keeping Sammy occupied on the playground. This was the little face that I came out to, always something to be grateful and thankful for. She can turn any day that is upside down, right side up!