Earnin' my keep!

I tell ya what, the past couple days the school district I work for has gotten some hard work outta me! Let me re-cap the last few days:

Monday

Monday was busy, but good. It was my first day back in the routine of things, so it felt good to be in the routine. It was also my first day with Lostboy in my classroom during the afternoon. I really liked it, but learned very quickly that I must have one eye on him at all times. He wasn't bad, but I had to be near him at all times.

I left school early for my abdominal scan. Actually, I drank half my Barium bottle before leaving school, and then finished it when I got to the hospital. The whole experience wasn't bad at all. And, I appreciate those who have prayed for me and written in wanting to know the results. Honestly, I don't know the results yet. I was told at the hospital it would be 2-3 days. Well, today was day #2, so I think I'll hear something tomorrow. I will keep you posted on what I find out.

The day ended with grabbing a Pepsi with Tooldude and solving all of life's problems at a table at Pizza Hut. In all actuality, nothing was solved, but it was an enormous blessing to sit with someone who has gone through some health stuff and knows (in part) what I'm walking in. I feel a little less alone with Tooldude beside me. I know he's a gift from God.

Tuesday

Tuesday was quite a day. It is Spring in my little corner of the world, and I can tell it in my classroom. I had "As the World Turns" in my classroom. I tell ya, I used to love soap operas, and now I hate them...both on TV and in real life.

I have a new kid in my class who has taken the heart of the boys in my class. And, truth be told, for many of them I think it's their first real crush. The only problem is the prettygirl just isn't quite so nice. She knows she's pretty and is manipulating stuff to get the boys in her pocket. I was about to scream by the end of the day!

I had one boy in tears, another boy mad, and it all came down to little miss princess who thought she was little miss innocent. I know better. So, I called the boys' parents because I know these boys and they weren't behavior problems until this little gal tried to move in on my students. And, it helped. Little Miss Innocent doesn't quite realize what has happened, as today (Wednesday) was quite different. I enjoyed watching her squirm. Go figure...

I also had Lostboy in class again, only this time was different. He had Mr. H. by the end of his rope, so I made him write an apology note to Mr. H. In it he stated, "I know it seems everything goes in one ear and out the other..." He came up with it on his own, I didn't give him one clue as to what to write in the letter except to say I expected 6 sentences. He pushed for 5, but I won. I had to sit by him the whole time for him to get it done, but he did. In the end, I asked him point-blank, "Do you really mean all this or are you just telling Mr. H. what you think he needs to hear?" He paused for a moment and said, "Um...a little bit of both." Sad thing is, I believe that. The kid may be from a messed up homelife, but he's not stupid. The more I have him in class the more I think it's not any label he's been given by a medical professional, he's just from a messed up homelife.

Wednesday--today

Today was busy from the minute I walked into school. Not bad, just busy. It started with breakfast duty. Yeah, um, forget having control of the group, they've already checked out for Summer Break. MAP is over, and most kids have checked out, I think. It was hard for me as my autistic tendancies came out and I didn't want to be in the loud room without earplugs. I'm just thankful I only have that duty one day per week.

Then I went to a meeting where we labeled a kid Special Ed. This will give me 26 again on my caseload! I've determined that I'm just to be called "Super-Teacher" and wear a cape for my super powers. I figure I can do anything for 21 more school days. That's right, the countdown has begun! :-)

Then I went to another meeting and got a lot done. The only kicker to it was the fact that I thought I had lost my Career Ladder plan. This would not have been a good thing, as plans were due today and it is worth a nice chunk of change. Thankfully, our building rep for Career Ladder had a copy, so I was saved. That was a relief! It feels good to have that done and turned in.

Then I went and taught kids this morning. It was pretty good. The kids were good, it was low-key because of MAP being over EXCEPT for my fifth graders. As it turns out, tomorrow is DARE graduation and all my little darlin's had decided to skip the DARE essay that they have to turn in at the end to get the shirt and graduation certificate. To be honest, I hate that part because they are assigned the essays during MAP, so I don't know about it and can't help them, and then I wind up in a meeting this morning where I'm told that only a few of my kids turned them in. Actually, I was thankful that they told me because usually it turns out that it's the day of Graduation and they don't graduate because they don't have the essay done and parents then complain. So, while the fourth graders had a low-key day, my fifth graders wrote essays. They hated it, stating that it wasn't fair. But, I held my ground because I know what would've happened tomorrow. They would have been in tears because they didn't get the shirt or the graduation certificate. I know, it's sad, but I have had it happen again and again. I'm such a mean teacher. :-)

At the end of my morning class, I had a student and a parent come to me and ask if they could talk to me in the hall. I knew what was coming. I had given this kid a mark for not listening to me in the cafeteria, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy by giving the mark. However, I held my ground. I knew what was happening, the parent figured they could get the kid out of it by coming to me. In the end, the mark stood and they both walked away mad. The parent mumbled a phrase to the kid as they walked away which was a slam on me. I just let it go. Sometimes parents aren't ready to see that their kid really did mess up and can learn from their mistakes. In the end, it wasn't a big deal to me, it was a mark, but not the end of the kid's academic career. It just kept him out of the extra recess they get at the end of the day on Wednesdays. His life would go on, and so would mine. Good came out of that though, as the parent came back around and apologized later. I just accepted the apology and stated, "It's okay, our lives will go on."

The afternoon proved to be a bit character-building as LostBoy was in fine form today. I had him by me the whole class period and he was still whistling and when I would just look at him he'd say, "sorry." He knew what he was doing but still did it. I never yelled at him though, which was my goal. He even tried to leave the building with one of our aides, when he knew I was to walk him out. I didn't yell. But, I let him know what I expected. And it made me realize how easy this year has really been for me until now. All my kids, even with all their quirks, are easy compared to LostBoy. In a sense, I think it's good for me to have a new challenge. Afterall, I can do anything for 21 days!

In the end, I wound up playing Uno after school with some really neat kids. I needed that too. I find myself needing to be reminded that their really are some good kids in good homes with good parents. I realize noone's perfect, but seriously, their has to be some good in this world.

I read a quote today that I will end with this tonight:

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
Abraham Lincoln

Enough said!

Later!