First Day prank and New Stage

School is back in session! I'm now in my 4th year of teaching. I can't believe it's been that long already. It was a great first day and I'm looking forward to my classes again! My students are great and they are very interested in my life. They are always asking me if I'm dating anyone, why I'm not married, how old I am (so they can set me up with a brother or cousin or someone they know is also single), etc. So yesterday my roommates helped me plot (with some encouragement from the choir and orchestra teacher) to come to school wearing an engagement ring! So I headed off very awkwardly wearing this ring on my finger. You know, I try really hard to act it off, but it's hard when it's just LYING! Anyway, one person noticed in my first class and a couple noticed in my later classes. My drama 3 class (the one with the kids I've had all their years of high school) freaked out! They kept trying to get the story out of me. I heard them rustling about it for a little bit until one finally just blurted out , "What's that thing on your left finger?". I just started blushing and tried to move the class along. A couple of them said, "I didn't even know you were dating anyone!". Are they expecting me to tell them when I'm dating someone? Sorry to disappoint kids! I slid by the subject all day and got home and one of my old students texted me saying that the news of my engagement is spreading quick! I'll dispell the rumor today at school, but it was pretty fun hearing all their speculations! I had one kid even come in this morning to my office to say that after I get married I can't leave until after he graduates or he'll be very angry! So fun!


The panic I had before the first day was due to the fact that on Monday I still had no stage and there was a whole lot of lumber delivered in my classroom teaching space. I was frustrated with the fact that I didn't know when they were planning on building the stage and school was starting in a couple days and I had virtually no access to my classroom. Well, Tuesday morning the carpenters arrived and began work. They worked all day and this is what happened!


They ended the day with a mostly completed stage! I was so thrilled. They told me they had about an hours work left to finish and then clean up! I was seriously so happy with the idea that I might be able to teach in my classroom on the first day (I was planning on teaching in the audituorium). So when I arrived at school yesterday at 7:30, I walked in to this:
All done and so pretty! I have to go in and finish the final touches (putting on the top soft wood to be the stage surface and then painting it all black) but it is great! My classroom is all put together now! On with day 2!!