Today was one of those days. Not a horrible day, exactly, but one when I kind of wonder what I'm doing here and if the kids will ever get anywhere and if I'll escape this year with any of my sanity still in place. And also, what the HELL is wrong with our country's priorities?-We don't have enough custodians so we have to send a kid to dump the garbage. And I almost cried when someone said "The janitor sweeps and mops your classroom, right?"
-One of the fourth grade classes (half of my students from last year) STILL doesn't have a teacher. Hey, they almost did me in. Who's going to want to take that job?
-One of my students told me-casually-that his dad had been killed in a gang fight a few years back.
-One of my old students came back to visit and was BRAGGING to a 5th grader that he had straight D's in his classes.
-The school is out of white paper to make copies, so we have to make all our copies on colored paper or white cardstock. And I seem to be the only one who notices that both of those are more expensive than white paper, which appears to be why we don't we have more white paper and less expensive, not-as-useful paper. [Note: some people have pointed out that this could have just been an honest mistake - the person doing the ordering may not have known that we would use so much white paper and not so much other paper. True. Except for the fact that this has happened every year for the last 7 years. You'd think someone would catch on to the pattern.]
-One of my kids (who is black) told me he didn't want to talk to "Mexican kids in that Mexican class" (bilingual Spanish class). In front of all the Mexican kids in my class, who mostly happen to be really sensitive girls.
-I have to go buy dry erase markers, glue, scissors, and erasers with my own money because the school seems to think they've given me enough.
-The computer guy from the district won't fix the computers in my classroom because they're not district property but were donated to me for my classroom. Ummm... guess why I don't have district computers? Not because I haven't been asking for them!
-I had to use an hour of sick leave because there was a fire on the other side of the bridge and it took me an hour and a half to get to school the other day.
-After spending hours putting up student work on various bulletin boards, we're all told we don't have enough student work up and why don't we make our classrooms look more like the slide we are being shown (which is totally cluttered and an ADD kid's nightmare - things hanging from the lights, the blinds, every bit of wall space...)
-Every other kid seems to want to tell me today that I "do too much" and "that's why they hate this class/school/life."
-We haven't gone on any field trips yet because I would have to pay for them, as the budget isn't finalized. The district might pay me back. The one I want to take them on is only $80, but I just don't have an extra $80. Not after I buy dry ease markers, glue, scissors, and erasers.
Sorry for the grouching. Like I said, it's been one of those days. Even the gecko's been a little grouchy, but I read that it's normal for geckos to be grouchy when they are shedding their skin. (Bet you didn't know that!)
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