Busy Busy Busy

To start with, I started writing this post in a spare moment at work two days ago and have not had a chance to finish it until now.  Last week was insane and yesterday, Friday, was my first (and hopefully last) 12 hour work day.  In at 6:45 am and out at 6:45 pm.  I'm working crazy hours and when I get home I pretty much eat dinner, watch TV, and go to bed.

When I wrote my first post about exactly a month ago, things were pretty slow here at Achievement Prep.  It was the middle of the summer and just the administrative staff was in the building, an occasional teacher but nary a scholar in sight.  (We call all students "scholars" here, and if you make a mistake you will be corrected.  It's part of our immensely strong school culture.)  Anyway, the following week, my third week of work, my experience at Achievement Prep changed radically overnight.  First, the new Platinum Teachers (bear with me here as I thrown down APA jargon) arrived on July 25th for the first day of their three week Summer Institute, in which they are acclimated to the special needs of our scholars (i.e. many of them are years behind in math and reading skills) and indoctrinated into the school culture.  We have special names for things, we sing songs about our school and to learn our multiplication tables and the message is drilled into the new staff as it has been this week into the new scholars - THIS IS NOT YOUR OLD SCHOOL.

This past week has been what is known as Preparation Academy.  This week is a chance for new scholars to learn classroom procedures, how things work at breakfast, lunch, and dismissal, how we walk in the hallways (along the edge of the blue tile, voices on silent!), as well as how we use the bathroom.  As Ms. Wright, Founder and Head of School, teaches all new female scholars, we are exquisite and refined ladies of Achievement Prep and we deserve a clean bathroom.  It takes a community working together to make this a reality, and you had better wash your hands, and to make sure you wash long enough you have to sing Happy Birthday - but the Stevie Wonder version of course.  Teachers had a chance to teach a class to the scholars and receive feedback from the administrators.  I've been working with the External Affairs team to make sure the paperwork for the new scholars is all in order and it's a monumental task.  I'm juggling about 100 files and I need to know exactly what is in each of them and if something is incomplete, how specifically and follow up with parents and former schools to get the right stuff.  

So far, I've done mostly administrative work at Achievement Prep so I'm looking forward to getting into the swing of the school year when enrollment season will be winding down and only the last few bits of paperwork will be coming in.  At that point, recruitment for the 2012-13 school year will begin and there will be a lot to do in terms of reworking the recruitment process.  The school is basically doubling in size this year from about 100 to 200+ and it's much more likely that a parent will be coming to the school without understanding as fully all the special ways that we approach things.

Also, I've submitted a proposal to lead an enrichment class (since we don't have art or music or gym class at APA) so hopefully, come September, I'll be leading an Art and Art Appreciation Class, helping out with keyboard lessons, or leading a Green / Gardening / Sustainability Club!