2025-01-23 - A blank page or canvas. His favorite. So many possibilities

It's a rare opportunity for a teacher to join an entirely new school; and not just a new charter school, but a new Public School! The allure was great and the idea intriguing - Public Schools on a Private Island owned by a Theme Park, where housing and necessities are available for employees and their families. As a History Teacher, he was concerned about shades of the original Hershey Factory Town, but at least employees were paid in real money and not scrip and the shops accepted real money and not scrip. Maybe it was more shades of modern day Hershey, Anaheim, Orlando, or other Theme Park towns.

The relative isolation, however, was different. A social experiment, perhaps? But what an opportunity!

His arrival was fairly uneventful although schlepping Junie along is always a challenge. She finally seemed to settle in her backpack even as Percy and his stuff was driven in a golf cart to his new apartment. Basic furniture was on the way: A desk, a bed, a couple of bookshelves. Only the necessities for the moment. A couple of Junie's perches were with the boxes of items in the back of the golf-cart truck. He would drop the items off and then, with the bird in tow still, go check out the new school.

Can a place have a 'New School Smell'? It smelled -clean-! It had that 'new paint, sunlight, and new linoleum' smell! Setting Junie's backpack down on the desk, he decided to take his own little tour of the classroom.

"Run, Freedom, Run! Freedom Run Away!" came from the backpack with a rustle as Junie apparently wanted the tour as well. So, with the macaw happily perched on his shoulder, Percy gave himself a tour of the school. Junie few ahead a few times, finding a couple places to perch, but was otherwise well-behaved and returned back to the classroom when he did.

Th possibilities were endless! How to set the room up? Where should the bookshelves go? What should he put on the walls? Maybe the desks could be arranged in a circle? Naah, too many. But the -potential- was enormous. He'd been working in schools in the US for almost ten years and he had never quite felt like this. There was a sort of Magic about the brand new school, just waiting for the buzz of students and the passing along of knowledge. A clean slate.

Before leaving, he made sure to stop by the auditorium. Junie was let out once again so that she could screech, "Once more, unto the breach, dear friends, once more! All the world's a Stage! Exit Stage Left, Pursured By A Bear!" before flying about and landing back on her carrier.

The apartment was likewise, a blank slate. Very blank. With luck, his few pieces of furniture would arrive before it got too late, but at least Junie's perches could be set up and he could start unpacking what was brought with him. Books were soon arranged in neat piles in the spots where the bookcases would eventually be. Clothes were set in the closet with what hangers he brought with him; more would have to be obtained the next day. Dishes, snacks, and bird food were placed in cabinets and a grocery list made up for the next day. His laptop was set up to charge.

The only think left to do, it seemed, was to set up a blanket (and towel, and pillow) fort, grab one of his books and read by phone light. At some point, he'll order in food and make an herbal tea before bed, but it seemed like the perfect sendoff to a new chapter in his life.

Maybe tomorrow he'll explore the new Theme Park.