Saturday, September 27, 2014

I'm Making Lemonade

This has been my worst start...ever?

We hired a permanent (or semi-permanent) aide. She has been very helpful. Her keen eye has caught many learning errors kids have. She works very closely with two of my kiddos, and the rest of the alphabet kids. The downside is she is a Type A personality that likes to be in charge. She is capable of running over my teaching partner, my teammate (during Science and Social Studies) and me. I know she means well, but sometimes it is hard to take.

On top of all of all the usual stuff, yesterday arrived with a two hour delay. Yippee!  Two hours of extra sleep, didn't come. I had been up late grading papers. Hubby thought I had overslept, and I needed to get grades entered. I arrived at school to a pancake birthday treat for a student, a tattletale situation that was the last straw, and hungry kids that missed breakfast. (We don't serve on delays as the kitchen has to get lunch ready). I had the behavioral specialist come talk to my kids that hate each other. I know, hate is a powerful word, but when last year's teacher(s) didn't stop their hatred, it continues. My teammate interrupted to say he had to have my kids, (didn't even discuss our adjusted schedule yet), and off they went. The pancakes would have to wait.

A half hour later, when my kids were back just getting settled, here comes the principal for drop in eval number 1. I wanted to tell him to go away.  Ten minutes in and our tech coordinator walks in with a reporter to interview and get pictures of my kids using iPads a grant had bought. The secretary buzzed in (three separate times), and my room was chaotic! Kids were taking AR tests on our novel, finishing a review and finalizing their interactive journals for the book, and taking one of four different levels of spelling tests. I was helping a student catch up (missed 6 days with that horrible virus!). Really! Why come observe on a two hour delay?

I wanted to close my door at lunch and cry. My aide wouldn't leave and I had kids in reading at recess. I had three lovely ladies show up to do a Lunch Bunch on the book Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen. They had made my day. I still had an IEP, reading buddies, a stack of papers to grade and copying to do during planning.

Dismissal couldn't come soon enough. I whined to my teammate about how hard the day had been, and went back to grab my stuff to go home. A quick check of my email caught me off guard. The principal had already sent notes on the visit! From what I could gather without his interpretation is "He gets it!" My attempt to salvage my crazy morning with my differentiation looked better than it felt to me. That, or my aide had told him she was worried I was packing up never to return. TGIF!

Hope your week was better than mine, and may your lemonade be only as tart as you like!

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