Perspective: not-so-messy desk

A friend came to my classroom last night to pick me up.  She had not seen my room this school year, since I have been trying so valiantly to keep on top of the endless crashing waves of paperwork. 

(Why does there have to be daily homework in math class?  Oh yeah, that's what I wrote my master's thesis on for the college of ed.  OK, I guess I'll keep assigning daily homework for my students.  And fight the current of daily papers for me to grade.)

"Wow, you moved your desk." 
"Oh wait, is this the same desk you had last year?"

"It's so clean!  I hardly recognized this as your desk."

Oh, that was so good to hear.  No, it's not perfect.

I am annoyed with how messy it seems.

I spend valuable energy fretting over the height of the stacks, and whether they are getting "too tall"

(Actual height of stack today: 3-1/2", including a 2-5/8" three-ring binder)





What a great thing a little perspective is!  Thank you, dear friend, for reminding me how far I've come in my efforts to be visually uncluttered.