Teachergirl and BrownBear for Hire

BrownBear and PrepGirl spent last week in New Orleans working with their youth group to help with the clean up. BrownBear helped paint a school and came back so fired up, she offered to help me paint my own classroom this week.

For those of you who don't know, I teach in a portable. A trailer. When I was first assigned to this trailer, I was apprehensive. I am in front of the school with two other fifth grade trailers.

Let me tell you that this trailer assignment is a thing of beauty. I am virtually left alone by administration. My Assistant Principal does not like to get her hair messed up and if it looks windy, misty, sunny, warm, or whatever, she won't come out. Delicious, right? I can come and go as I please. My key works 24/7. Every other teacher inside the building has to work the hours that the building is open. So, if I need to do something after hours which requires my room, I am set.

This week, BrownBear and I decided to paint my room. My room was originally the nastiest institutional green you can imagine. It was chipped, it had marks on the wall and it was depressing. I could not function in this environment for one more year. So, my little painter girl offered to help paint and I could not refuse her offer.

In a few short hours, we transformed my hideous little trailer into a thing of beauty. Now granted, I just painted like hell. There is a little paint on the baseboards and a little paint on the floor and a few marks on the ceiling. This is driving BrownBear crazy. She is patient, careful and (I think) a little OCD. She wants to go back and fix our mistakes.

I'm just so happy with how it looks now, I can hardly see our mistakes. When I get posters and bulletin boards up, no one will be able to see our indiscretions. And I'm thinking that BrownBear and I could hire ourselves out for the next couple of days, renovating portables.