Learning from Elsa: (Trying to) Let It Go

     I'm a Type A person.  I like to-do lists.  I have to have my planner at all times.  (I was at a conference and a water bottle exploded in my bag.  It pretty much drenched my planner and I started to hyperventilate.  I couldn’t feel my limbs.  I think that’s what a stroke must feel like.) The cabinets in my classroom are organized with smaller containers that have labels on everything.  My circle likes to joke about my Type A-ness, but the truth of it is that it helps me survive the chaos of middle school. I wouldn't be able to do half of the things I do without that personality trait.  My Type A, perfectionist attitude almost got the better of me this week, though.  Almost.  And I'm so glad it didn't.

     Our school is having its first-ever door decorating contest.  Why first-ever?  Well, until Christmas, we were an open-concept school.  If you haven't experienced the challenges of a school without doors or full walls, imagine over 950 middle schoolers in some sort of large rat maze.  That was what we dealt with on the daily.  Our construction project to close in classrooms is finally finished!  This is the first time in maybe four decades that every teacher has a door!

     Anyway, so to pump up kids for state testing, each team was asked to decorate their door/hallway.  Our team was down to superheroes or Star Wars for a theme.  Fortunately, my son has had two Star Wars birthday parties and since Type A lady here saves all party decor because you never know when you might need it again, we went with Star Wars.

     First step was to cover the door with a black tablecloth.  I backed away so the kids could do it.  What I saw made me want to peel the skin away from my face.  It was crooked, it had holes in it, and it had more wrinkles than an English bulldog’s face.  I almost tore it off to redo it myself, but I didn't.  In my head and using my best Elsa voice, I repeatedly started singing, "Let it go!  Let it go!"  That's much easier said than done for Type A me, but I did nothing.  I had a few kids that wanted to stay after school to finish it.  They asked for a new tablecloth to try it again and I obliged.

Their finished product!

     What I saw was better than anything I could have done or imagined.  They figured out how to wrap the door like a present, so the background looked much better.  They used green plates and construction paper to make a Yoda head.  They found yarn to put together a banner for each teacher on the team.  This morning, they raided my cabinet for bulletin board letters to make a Yoda-like testing phrase.  They figured out how to tape a foam lightsaber to the door to get it to stick.  The only thing they needed me to do was to figure out how to get the hooks to not tear away from the tablecloth when they hung the robe (It was heavy!). Oh, and roll tape to hang things.  Apparently, that is a teacher-ninja skill.

     I could have stayed late last night to fix it myself, but I didn't.  Doing it myself would have robbed them of the pride they felt when they finished.  Watching them work together to figure it out was absolutely priceless.  They are so proud of themselves and the work they did.

     And Type A me is pretty proud of them, too.


     Love and Sparkle,