And the Weekend Approacheth
4:17 p.m. - 2004-09-30
I snuck out of school 15 minutes early today, simply because I needed to get the hell away from there.
It's not the kids, really, or the other teachers, or even the administration. It's all of those things combined, plus the over-whelming amount of extra work that I have to put in because we're in Corrective Action.
Report to work by 7:15 at the latest, which means I have to leave home by 6:30. Then a rush, rush, rush to ensure that I have enough to do for the day. Getting the kids to sit quietly during morning assembly. Coercing them to walk properly in line. Checking planners for parents' signatures. Starting the day's work. Getting interuppted umpteen billion times by visitors, staff members, phone calls, and informal observations. Lesson plans. Creating the things to go with the lesson. Classroom management. Unbuttoning pants and fastening belts. Making sure the little boys aren't pissing on the wall. Keeping everything quiet. Mound and mounds and MOUNDS of paperwork. Trying to get the kids who need it referred to SAT. Tying shoelaces, making sure that their shirts are tucked in and they're wearing belts. Collecting money for field trips. Deciding on different methods of punishment. Calling their homes and not getting any answer.
And then there are the meetings. First Tuesday of every month is a two-hour faculty meeting after school. The two Tuesdays following that are Study Group meetings that last for an hour. Meetings with parents, with the principal, the Vice-Principal, and the counselor. Grade level collaborative meetings once a week. Recording data and submitting it to three or four different people so that it can be properly analyzed during other meetings. Workshops. In-servies. PTO meetings. Parent-Teacher Conferences.
I feel pretty overwhelmed. Who knew that dealing with six year olds could be so damn stressful?
Alan's in a pissy mood, because he doesn't know what to do with his life. My dad is (more than likely) selling the store, which leaves my husband two options--either work for someone he loathes, or find work elsewhere that won't allow him to be home every night--and he doesn't know what to do. And I certainly don't want to give any advice, because if he ends up losing/hating whatever he chooses, it'll inevitably be my fault. Uh-uh. I'm not capable of dealing with that kind of drama these days.
Anyway, back to school. The kids drive me relatively crazy, but they're funny as hell, so I try not to stress to much. One of the little boys is the cutest thing EVER. He has an incredibly distinctive voice, so even if I'm halfway down the hall, I can pinpoint him as the talker. (And boy howdy, that kid likes to talk.) He's quickly becoming one of my favorites (I know, I shouldn't say that) because he's very intelligent and very comical.
For instance, he comes up to me almost every day and says, "Mrs. Dreamer, can I go tell the Tattle Face something? 'Cause I know you don't want to hear no tattling." (The 'Tattle Face' is a big yellow smiley face in the corner of the room, and since I get sick of the "He pinched me! She tore my paper! They talking 'bout me's" When they start that mess, I just tell them to go talk it to the Tattle Face. Other teachers have pictures of Bush up in their rooms for the same purpose, but I refuse.) Hardly any of the kids use it, because once they get over there and realize that they're talking to a WALL, they feel pretty silly. Not little Zack, though. After I've given the okay, he marches right over and mumbles something to the face. Then back to his desk he goes. It's so freaking cute.
I have a zillion other cute kid stories to share, but I have shit to do around here, too. And there are also some stressful issues to discuss, but I'm not in the mood. Maybe tomorrow, or over the weekend.
Speaking of weekends, I have a "date" with my father Saturday night. Still not sure what we're going to do, but a night out with daddy is usually pretty fun (and it guarantees me a DD), so I'm looking forward to it. Tomorrow Pre-K through Third grade students are going on a field trip to see a play at the local college, and I'm really grateful.
That's it for now, folks.
Love,
A.