Overcome any bitterness that may have come because you were not up to the magnitude of the pain that was entrusted to you. 

Sufi wisdom

8 days to go

Every once in a while I think that my school has finally revealed all of the ridiculousness that it has to offer and that is when I get completely caught off guard.

Two important pieces of information critical to understanding my rant:

1. A second grade teacher at my school is moving back to CA. Since her sister is graduating next weekend, she requested to leave early and not come back. This request was approved. 
2. My students graduate next Wednesday and do not come back for the last three days of school. 

Ok. So today I received an email saying that I would be responsible for substituting in that second grade class after my own class has graduated.

I see so many problems with that, but the first and most pressing is that I don't know the children. I don't even know their names, and frankly I don't have any desire to play the name game with students two days before summer vacation.

Second, I can't have my own students help me pack my class (which is what most higher level teachers do). Trust me, I've tried. It doesn't go well. I planned to wait to pack up my class until after the kids were gone.

More important than any of that, in my opinion: WE HAVE STAFF WHOSE JOB IT IS TO SUBSTITUTE. No one is willing to tell me what they will be doing those days.

In an attempt to be an adult about the situation, I emailed and asked about the designated substituting staff. My principal replied that they are "busy with end of year duties," and that this was her decision [tough] so I should see her with any further questions.

I saw her. It did nothing. I summarized my concerns and she said, "My problem with you is that you have ideas about what you want to do, and I'm the principal so I need to just tell you what to do and you need to deal with it." When I pushed harder, specifically stating that I don't think it is fair that another teacher is leaving early and I am being punished she began to repeat the same sentence over and over: "Ms. Q is not coming back next year." She must have said it 15 times in response to 15 different things I brought up before I finally walked away.

Resolution: I'm taking a sick day on the day that I was supposed to sub.

caught off guard

My rainbow child, DuckDuck, was absent on Monday. Since he isn't usually absent I noticed but didn't think too much of it. Tuesday during circle time he raised his hand. I called on him and he said, with all the monotone inherent in young children delivering bad news, "My uncle was shot yesterday. He might come home. He might not."

Ladies and gentleman, that is the third time that this has happened to one of my students in two years. And I'm not counting all the relatives who are shot before I meet my students.

My heart goes out to Duck's mom who showed up at dismissal physically frazzled and red-eyed, but still calm.

silver lining

I started the morning with two chaperones. By the time we left I had a total of seven.

The weather created the biggest waves I've ever seen on Lake Michigan and I got to watch as some of my kids saw big waves for the first time.

I taught my kids the word "skyscraper" a few weeks ago. Without prompting I heard someone shout, "I see a skyscraper!!"

When we had no place to sit at lunch we laid out my coat on the floor and had a picnic. One of my students who has a really hard time sharing watched me share my lunch and then decided to share her candy (big deal).

We got to see at least three of the animals on my dress.

Two of my three group members, after we watched a zoo keeper prepare lunch for the birdhouse, decided they want to be zookeepers, too.

zoo

I am all kinds of grumpy. Today is our last field trip. I'm wearing a fabulous Frizz dress. We've been talking about the zoo for weeks.

It's 50 degrees outside and supposed to rain. And I have a cold. The entire day hinges on my ability to operate at a level 10 in terms of enthusiasm.

priceless

Watching a former student quietly attempt to reattach a leaf that fell off her plant with an increasing look of confusion on her face.

teaching is like running a marathon

A coworker (Ms. H) and I signed up to do a half marathon together, coinciding with the end of the school year. I think we both appreciate the parallel structure of grueling exercise and grueling jobs. I'm in my third week of training and so far so good. I've never run distance before so I'm just training to finish -- if it takes me 2 1/2 hours I don't mind one bit. 

When I told my kids they were really excited about the idea of me "racing" Ms. H.