Well, I guess it's normal to say you started the year off with a bang, but in my case, I started it off with a BOOM. Or maybe you could say a THUD.
I used the first week of staff development to figure out a nice work-out/exercise plan that would keep me in shape and healthy after riding my bike for nearly ten miles every morning during the summer. I tried a few different routes and found several different 1-2 mile walking routes I could take after my breakfast each morning, depending on whether I had 30 or 45 minutes to spare before leaving for work. Then I even came home and rode my bike for another 5 miles to destress just before the sun came down in the evening.
I enjoyed setting up my classroom, meeting my new teammate, having lunch out with my team, and meeting 17 of my 22 students by Thursday evening of that first week. I got most of the school supplies organized and had all the desks, furniture, and Math and Reading stations set up. I went to an interior design presentation with my mom and learned ways to make the room feel calm by arranging things symmetrically and creating balance.
Friday's meetings went a bit longer than expected, so I assumed I would stay a little extra that afternoon to get the remaining supplies put away before Monday morning. But not long after I got back into my classroom, they made an announcement that we had to leave the building by 5:00 so the custodians could wax the floors. We could come back on Saturday to finish things up if needed. So I grabbed my backpack and walked down the hallway, out the doors, and across the playground toward my car.
As I walked, I looked down at my hand and realized I still held a sock eraser that I grabbed on accident. I chuckled at myself, knowing I had way too much on my mind after a long day of staff development meetings and no plans even made for the week ahead.
About the same time, as I took my next step, my toe somehow caught on the lip of the concrete walkway and BOOM! I suddenly crashed to the ground, falling directly on my chest and arm right onto the concrete. I don't remember even realizing I was falling. I just remember hitting the ground hard and seeing my glasses fall on the sidewalk in front of where I fell, wondering what in the world just happened.
After a second or two feeling stunned, I got up, moved my arm to make sure it wasn't broken, and got in my car to drive around to the front of the building. I knew I needed to report it, but I had forgotten my key to get back in the building. I realized there wasn't anybody left in the office to let me in, so I figured I would make it home and contact the nurse. I drove home trying to convince myself the whole way that I was okay.
But by the time I got home, my whole body started to hurt, especially my chest and ribs. I contacted both principals to get the nurses' number, and she told me where to go if I needed medical care. So I checked in online to see a doctor, but they were unable to get me in that night due to an overload of COVID cases. I somehow made it through the night on tylenol and went in to see a doctor first thing Saturday morning. So much for getting in to my classroom to make any finishing touches before the first day of class on Monday morning.
As soon as the doc started touching the sore area and saw me wincing, she ordered x-rays. Thankfully, no obvious breaks or fractures showed up, though a hairline fracture would not be evident on an x-ray for a few days. Either way, I bruised my right rib cage pretty badly and needed pain meds, along with orders for very limited activity. No bending, twisting, or lifting anything over 20 pounds. It hurt to take deep breaths, to talk loudly, to try to sleep, to get up and down from chairs, and to walk. So much for my morning 2 mile walks before school. Now I was doing good just to get a shower and somehow style my hair.
So not the way I envisioned starting out a new school year. Especially after last year and all things COVID. It was like a slap in the face, after all my efforts to better both my physical and mental health this summer. My anxiety level went through the roof on that first day of school. The kids walked in with big bags of school supplies, and I couldn't reach down to help them with any of it. I had to ask those poor kids to lift every item up to my level so i could number it, and then I had to guide them to where to put away each thing. I couldn't even bend down to their desk level to write a quick note, spell a word, or anything. Even if I tried, the pain would stop me immediately.
Thankfully, they're a really great group of kids and didn't hesitate to help me out. It's kind of like an invisible injury that no one can see, so that made it hard to explain. My best explanation was that I fell and the doctor told me I can't bend down to get anything off the floor or lift anything heavy. Apparently that said enough. :)
Monday I was in quite a bit of pain, but Tuesday felt okay, as long as I didn't overdo it. Wednesday I hurt again for most of the day, but Thursday felt much better. Friday was painful again. I wonder if the days that aren't so painful give me too much confidence, and then I pay for it the next day. I also had family visiting from Pennsylvania for four days this week (that I hadn't seen in four years!), so I didn't get a lot of rest time. I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to see them and catch up with them, even if all I could do was just sit and talk. I did rest up a lot yesterday afternoon, slept really well last night--despite sleeping sitting up, and rested again for most of the day today, so I am hoping this next week will be better. At least the anxiety of the first week of school has already passed, and I know my kids are more than eager to help me out. Tomorrow I go back to the doctor for a follow up.
So here's to the most unexpected start to the 2021/22 school year, my nineteenth year of teaching at the same school. (In fact, the first student I met from my class happens to be the child of a student I taught my third year here.)
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