Really Not Sure About This

It hasn't sunk in yet that I am teaching 8th grade this year.  Today was the first official day back at work and I felt like everyone asked about my moving.  To me, I am still just going through the motions of talking about it, but it really still doesn't feel like it's happening. 

I am just so nervous about moving up to eighth grade.  It's just so easy to stay exactly where I am at and comfortable.  However, I also feel that the longer I stay where I am at the harder it is going to be when I do change grades/subject one day (which I hope I don't spend my life in the same grade doing the same thing, how boring!).  And this is the perfect time to make the change, and I could go on-and-on with reasons for this, but I don't want to bore you.

But what made me especially nervous today was after the other teacher and I (we are just straight up switching positions) got our rooms completely moved from one to the other.  I then stepped into my room, and it was no longer hers.  And that's when I realized, I don't know what to do with this:

There's like actual science stuff in here with lab tables and things that I could blow up! I am not used to a high school looking science lab.  I am used to an elementary looking science classroom like this:

 
And what am I supposed to do with this stuff:

I mean, I've been a science teacher for the past 4.5 years.  But I don't know what to do with this stuff!  I honestly still see it like I did when I was in high school, which means, I TOTALLY want to pull the shower lever, start the eye wash stations, push the pump shut-off switch and see what the fire blanket looks and feels like when you pull it out.

But now I have to be the one to discourage such behavior.  BOO!!!

Y'all, I looked at my department head (who's now my next door neighbor) today during inservice and totally had a panic moment where I said, "I mean, I don't even remember how to use a bunson burner, most less, how to hook it up without burning down the school!"

She was like, "you are really over thinking how easy and fool-proof this stuff is."

Which might be true for the most part, but I do recall a fire drill incident this past year at my school that turned out to not be a drill at all.  And it all started with the teacher that I am changing spots with putting a box too close to a fire censer.  So if something so simple could cause such problems, who's to say I wouldn't cause some more serious problems with all this crazy stuff! 

But the few things I am excited about:
1)  I have running water in my classroom- I used to have to walk so far to the nearest water fountain.  Such a pain for re-filling my cup or for doing labs involving water!

2) I get more room to spread students out.  When I say I am going to move them far away from their friends, I now mean FAR AWAY FROM THEIR FRIENDS.

3) Between me and my department head, we have this refrigerator and microwave combo to share!  See you aren't allowed to have them, the exclusion being science labs.  Oh, the feeling of not fighting for refrigerator space or my wait in line to get my food microwaved. 

Oh I feel like such a big kid grown-up science teacher now- well, once it all finally sinks in, of course!!!