No wire hangers!!!

Alright. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a little picky about my stuff. I like things to be organized and neat. I make sure to put things away when I'm finished with them, and I expect the same of others.

My classroom is the way I like it. I have the needed things, and then I have a few "homey" things thrown in for good measure. I have "kid things" and "my things". I don't like those items to cross paths. No, you can't use that pencil. It's mine. You can use the student pencils. You got it out, so you put it back.

And maybe, just maybe, I've channeled Joan Crawford once or twice when I've found the crayons in the colored pencil drawer.

So, what has pushed me over the edge, you ask?

It's the reading celebration.

Now, it's a good idea. They have some cute rooms. I love reading. I have a BA and a MA in English, for goodness sake. Books are my friends.

But they are going to decorate MY room for this celebration. And notice the "they". Not me. Other people. Yes, strangers are going to enter my space. They are going to touch my things. They are going to bring "stuff" into my classroom. Seriously. Do these people not know me? Do they think that they can invade my classroom on a Friday afternoon, transform my classroom into a book wonderland, allow hundreds of people into my classroom on Saturday, and then have my room back in order for me to teach on Monday? I think not.

I wish I was one of those people who aren't bothered by those kinds of things, but I'm not. And at almost 40 years old, I'm not holding out hope of changing at this point.

I guess that's one way to make sure I attend . . . use my room.

Well, if you decide to visit the reading celebration this year, stop by and see my room. And say hello to me. You can find me under my desk in a fetal position or huddled in the back corner rocking back & forth and muttering to myself.