New School...

Ugh.  I've started a post just about every day this week but they all turn out to be dumb and just not funny.  So there, I let the cat out of the bag - sometimes I think I'm funny.  : )  Anyways... I'm just going to give you some interesting differences I've noticed so far at my new school.

1.  They call binders notebooks.  So weird!
2.  They call notebooks spirals!  I'm pretty sure they say "notebook" right on them...
3.  The school does not have any supplies of any kind besides printer paper (and everyone has their own printing code with strict rules).  The PTO does give money each year for supplies (double for newbies!  Yay!), which definitely helps.  But think - NO dry erase markers.  NO paperclips.  No staples.  No tape dispensers.  No pencils.  ETC.  It took me a while to even compile a list of what I needed... how do you go from access to pretty much whatever I needed to absolutely nothing?!
4.  This is just a "dialect" thing, but they all say "onvelopes" instead of "envelopes".  I giggle a little at the accent sometimes.  Then they tease me for mine.  One person said I sounded like I was from Canada.  I took it as an insult.  But then I said, "PTO" once and TOTALLY had a Minnesotan "o" like straight out of the movie "Fargo". 
5.  New internet IEP system = very confusing, but people say that after a few done it gets easy.  I'm sure that will happen - just gotta love that learning curve...
6.  I'm a resource teacher, not a specialist -- the specialists are the "specials" teachers -- computer, art, Spanish, music, PE, etc.
7.  10 days of leave total - including sick, personal, bereavement, etc. (they can roll over each year)
8.  Paid time for collaboration - but we have to stay until 5pm a few nights a month.
9.  They use mylearningplan, but have more strict rules for getting credit... (continuing ed. credits for renewing teaching licenses for those of you going mylearningwhat?).
10.  Job shares.  Two people split the time/pay/benefits of one job.  I think I'd be down with that in a few years.  Some people do like M-T every other W/ then the other does the other W and every Thurs/Fri.  Some people do mornings/afternoons.  I'm TOTALLY digging this idea - I guess it would depend on kiddo schedules, but I think I'd prefer the first choice.

I'm know there are more... and that I'll discover more... but that's all I got for right now.  : )