BY EVANGELINE STEWART, GRADE 3 TEACHER

Have you ever wondered what ACS Elementary is like with no one there, with the lights off? Have you ever wanted to run or dance down empty school hallways?

Think of all the fun you could have!

Hallway Dancing

Well, this is my life every morning at 6:30 am. I am a morning person. I love the quiet stillness before the chaos of the day. To reflect, to pray, to prepare, and maybe dance down the hallway a little. And only being in my second year of teaching, I feel as though I still have a lot to plan and prepare for, so instead of staying later after school, I decide to come in early.

You might be thinking, “Wait a second, you come to school two hours before it starts?” You bet! You know what they say, “The early bird gets the worm!”

You’d think at that time in the morning I’d be the first person to get there. But nope, somebody always beats me. No matter how early I come, Mr. Thiessen is always there with Christian music blasting from his classroom and walking around in his socks! One of these days I’ll beat him to it. But then again, it’s nice to have him open the gates and turn off the alarm for me!

Sneaking Out

My morning routine looks something like this:

I wake up so early that I have to quietly get ready and sneak out of my house without waking anyone. The streets are quiet and dark and as I drive, I blast the radio and sing along (with no commercials on the station that early in the morning!). And there is an added bonus of not having to drive 30 km through the school zones.

I drive in to the school parking lot at 6:30 am and park in the same spot every time. I look to see if the lights are on in Mr. Thiessen’s classroom, give him a little wave and go into the school. I unlock my classroom, put my lunch in the fridge and make a cup of tea in the staff room (I don’t drink coffee; I know—shocker!). Afterwards, I set up for the day and usually the next day as well.

You might be thinking, “Wow! This is so boring.” But I’m telling you, it’s the best time of day to come to the school. No interruptions and no line-up for the photocopier. I get so much done, which means I can leave earlier after school.

Sometimes weird things happen that Mr. Thiessen and I have to solve or deal with. So far we’ve had the joy of dealing with no power and no internet, all the classroom doors being unlocked, the lights on, and the alarm being off already—uh oh! Once we even noticed the outside doors were unlocked so then we needed to check to see if anyone was in the building or if anything was stolen.

It’s always an adventure in the early mornings, but don’t tell anyone or it will spoil the fun….