it is finished

This is a celebratory post.

I am celebrating the completion of a three-year project.

The science schrank.

For the past three years, my department head has actively encouraged me to build a collection of resources and materials to be used in the middle school science classes. We have a budget and are encouraged to use it. So, for the past three years I have been making wish lists and gathering materials and getting excited whenever a new treasure appeared in my mailbox from the science fairy.

For the past three years I have also tried to find a good system of organizing and inventorying (is that a word?) said materials. When we moved to the new campus last year, I took advantage of the opportunity to weed out the "skeletons in the closet" - like old VHS tapes, broken microscopes, student projects from seven years ago. With so many people coming and going through BFA's doors, each person inherits whatever the last person left behind and they're all afraid to throw anything away. I think missionaries are also closet hoarders - they hold onto things that might come in handy one day and also feel guilty throwing "useful" things away.

So now, as I begin my fourth year in the role of middle school science, I have finally gotten the closet under control. It started harmlessly, with a few clear "Samla" boxes from IKEA that were handed to me by my equally organization-conscious principal.

"Here," she said. "Maybe you can use these to organize your closet."

Armed with a Dymo label maker and over thirty more boxes of varying sizes, I finally ended up with this:

Is it not beautiful? It's like this puppy was made for me. This is not an IKEA schrank, but it works to perfectly with the boxes!! I love that the boxes fit perfectly along the shelves - four across, with just enough wiggle room. Plus, they are deep enough and tall enough to fill up the shelf. The fact that there is hardly any wasted space in this cupboard makes me very happy.

Here are just SOME of the goodies I inherited from the former physical science teacher for my new class. From the looks of these items, physical science may be the most fun of all my sciences!

What's that up on the top shelf? Yes, frogs. Adding legit dissections to the curriculum this year and it kind of freaks me out. We'll also do earthworms. Blech.

Oh, and check out the very top of my schrank! This is my collection of costumes from various spirit days and class parties over the past few years. Some are mine, some are from students or fellow staff members who willed them to me upon their departure from BFA.

Let's just step back and admire the entire masterpiece one last time.

Perfect. Now, about those lesson plans ...