Welcome!
Welcome to Teaching la vida loca, a podcast for World Language Teachers seeking inspiration, unapologetic authenticity and guidance in centering joy, and facilitating language acquisition for the people who matter most our students. I'm your host, Annabelle. Most people call me la maestra loca, and I'm an educator just like you and inspiring teachers is what I do. Welcome to episode 49 of teaching la vida loca. I apologize.
Episode 49
I am so excited because I just realized this is episode 49. Which means that the next episode is going to be episode 50 Do you understand? Do you understand what I'm saying? Like, I will have recorded 50 Freaking episodes of teaching la vida loca, and I cannot even, I'm ridiculously excited. Okay. I'm gonna breathe for a second. I am recording this on the eve of the first day of school. Now, I've been back at school since July 26 or 27? I don't know. It was way too early. Like kind of barf in your mouth kind of way too early. But students are arriving tomorrow. August 3. Is that way too early? Absolutely. I can't even speak y'all. Absolutely it is. Remember, this is the authentic podcast where I don't edit anything. You're welcome. Absolutely.
So Early!
It's way too freakin early. I am not ready. My classroom y'all. Y'all, my classroom. If you're on my email list, go and check your email for a picture of my classroom. If you're not on my email list. What are you doing? I literally put the link in every single podcast; go and click on the link and get yourself on my email list. My classroom is so far from ready. I moved to a brand-new classroom this year. It is absolutely enormous. It was an old science lab. Unfortunately, the desks that are in there cannot be moved. Like they can't be taken out. And y'all know how I feel about desks. I've been deskless for years and years and years. But they're too heavy to move frequently. So, like Paul came in, moved all of these desks with me, figured out a setup that works really, really well. Unfortunately, it's not something that I can move frequently or even at all throughout the year because they are so heavy, but it's a setup that I like. However, there are boxes everywhere that I have yet to unpack. I don't have a single word up on my walls, not even my question words, y'all nada. My Calaveras aren't out. I haven't. I've found two unicorns. I don't know where the heck all my unicorns are. Carlos is in a suitcase from a conference. Not nothing. Nothing. Literally, I don't even have a projector plugged in for tomorrow. I have nothing. Do I have slides for tomorrow? No, because I don't even have a computer setup situation going to do that. I have spent all week in workshops in PD in mandatory reporter training and all like of the digital training virtual trainings we have to do. I haven't even finished all of them that we have to do. I didn't even have to attend as many meetings as some of the teachers in my building. And yet, this is where I am completely unprepared for students tomorrow. However, I'm ready. I'm ready. And it's going to be an amazing year. And the fact that my classroom doesn't look like, forget Pinterest, like a single classroom on Instagram. I'm like, Annabelle stop clicking on these beautiful classrooms on Instagram and feeling all of the like not imposter syndrome necessarily. Like I am comparing what am I doing? What am I doing? I know that's not me. I know I'm not going to have the pretty borders or make all of the, like fancy things that I save and say I'm gonna do one day like I know that's not me. So why am I doing it? Like why am I looking?
My Kids…
But I do know that I'm going to be joyful to see my kids tomorrow. And I'm going to be joyful to meet new students. And I'm going to be joyful to witness my baby boy walking in as a pre-K student. I don't get to teach him this year. I was really hopeful that I would, but I don't but he's going to be in my school building. It's a dream I've had for a long time. And many of you who have followed me for years know that that is not a dream I will ever see with my daughter, I don't think at least she goes to a school on the west bank, and she's happy. And it's her stable place that I won't ever get the opportunity to teach her or teach in the same building as her, at least, that we first see. And so, this feels magical. I have my little boy coming to school. I am going to see my students that I taught last year, I'm going to meet new students who are brand new to this school, and I get to be a smiling face for them on their first day at a brand-new school, which can feel really overwhelming, especially if you're coming in as an older student. And there's already friendships made, and bonds made and community built and you feel like this new person, I get to be a smiling face. I gotta be maestra. Hi, Maestra, I'm your Spanish teacher this year, and I'm so excited to meet you. I know that I would feel much better if my classroom looked the way that I am envisioning it to look. But I know that it'll get there. And I know I would feel much better if all of the trainings were done. And if my sub plan binder was complete, and I had slides for tomorrow, or a printer that had toner so I can print my rosters, but I know it's gonna be okay. I also know that I'm not the only teacher in the world that feels unprepared for the first day of school. So, if you are a teacher, who feels unprepared, who feels like a hot mess, who feels like a teacher who feels like their classroom is a million years from being ready, just know you are literally not the only one. And that's me, here in New Orleans. I'm floundering, and I'm so far from ready just like you. But I am going to be a smiling face tomorrow. For brand new students, a smiling face tomorrow, for my old students who are returning in my classroom will get put together when it gets put together. And my slides may not get made, because if I don't have the tech tomorrow, then who needs slides. But I will be there to connect with my students new and old and create a classroom space for them. That makes them feel excited and welcomed and eager for the year ahead.
Free Workshop
So, I just wanted to reflect on that because I was feeling really anxious when I left work. But, I did a lot of thinking and self-talk on the way home and I just wanted to share that with you. And I wanted to invite you to a workshop that I'm doing on the 13th of August. It's free. It's at 2pm central, and I will be sharing five secrets for starting the year. empowered and energized. Isn't that the best title? I know. Okay, you know me and alliteration and if you don't know me and alliteration, ask any familia loca member and they will tell you that literally every month I have to have a theme of the month that is alliteration. Like, I'm so obsessed anyways. I am super excited to share with you some secrets that aren't really secrets. They're just things that you might need to be reminded of or things you may need to be told to starting that year this year. feeling more empowered, more centered, more grounded, more powerful than you've ever felt, and also more peaceful and at the same time, vivacious and vibrant and energized. Doesn't that sound awesome? It literally sounds awesome because it is awesome. So yeah, there's that. Click the link in the show notes to register and save your spot. It's free. Send this message to a friend, this exact podcast to a friend who might need to hear these words and be reminded that if your classroom doesn't look anything close to a Pinterest or Instagram classroom, and you have 10 boxes still open and stuff literally on every surface of your classroom, it's okay because I did the things that were most important. Today, I made sure that I had window coverings in case of a lockdown because that is the only important thing. The rest can wait!
So Grateful!
I just need my smile. I just need my grounded passion for what I do, and excitement to see these beautiful faces that I get to work with and learn from this year because I'm going to learn a lot from these babies. Gosh, we are so lucky to do what we do. Until next time, I will be teaching la vida loca literally in t minus god, Oh my god. I see students in 123, I see students in less than nine hours, so that's fun. But, um, I'll be teaching la vida loca and I'm sure you will be too and if you're not yet, you will be soon. And I would love to empower and energize you for the school year ahead. Make sure you register with the link in my bio, and then send this to somebody who needs hear it. Okay, well, it was a too many action steps. Did I give you too many? I don't care. It's okay. You can do it. Yay. Go you. I love you. I'm so grateful for you. Take care of yourself. You're amazing. And I love you. Bye bye, teacher.
