The life of a classroom

As I was sanding some shelves in my classroom today, I started thinking about how dated and sad everything looked in there.  I also started to think about how it might have looked when it was new.  Probably the same only shinier.  It is about nine days until school starts and my room still looks like this.  After 3 days it is starting to look a little better to me, but to the casual observer not so much.  Stay posted for an after picture.  I am hoping that the room will be cheery and inviting for the kids come September, after all the garbage and years of people's left behinds are finally purged.  It's been a while that I've had to start over in a new classroom and I've forgotten how much teachers like to "save" things.  I would not be surprised to find out that many hoarders were teachers at some time in their lives.  I did mange to find a diamond in the rough, my desk.  It needs some TLC, but it will be beautiful when I'm done.  To think the janitor was going to throw it out the same day that I found it!   It's an old wooden teachers desk, similar to the one I have in my scrap room, but smaller.  I was happy to ditch the giant metal and ugly one that was in the room when I got there.  The old wooden desks have character and history, the newer ones (from the '80's) are usually black and chrome and have no style at all.  I hope to refinish this one next summer (I'm adding it to a growing list of projects), but I'll have to get it in writing that I get to keep it.  I know it'll look that good.