After a busy but blissful spring break, I partially dreaded going back to school this morning, bracing myself for the crunch time before CST. I probably saw the copy machine jam with paper bits at least 20 times today, and the other one in the library has been out of commission since before spring break. While admin pretends that teachers can magically conjure up 150 copies a day, I played it cool and said, "I won't let this get to me." I've come to school with a giant protective mental bubble that built up over the past 11 days, not wanting to break down at the beginning. It's lasting pretty well so far, considering how it took 20 min to get maybe 100 pages copied.
I also find out that half the 8th graders will be out either today or tomorrow for a field trip. This takes 2 full days of instruction, when I want to give a test on Friday and review CSTs the next 2 weeks. I'm still testing on Friday. I can't delay anymore. Moreover, the school decided to change our 50 min periods to block scheduling for those 2 weeks. While I see the benefits of block scheduling, it should have been done EARLIER in the year and NOT right before testing. The adjustment period to this schedule change would take much too long and throw the students off.
First period rolls around, and in the first 5 minutes I find that last night's rain leaked into my classroom and left a puddle in my room, with more dripping happening. In the span of about 10, 15 min I call the office, only one custodial staff is available and might stop into my room. Then he comes in a few minutes later, then one of the admin comes in with a booming voice and all of my kids are distracted. Then they mop it up and leave, and then I get another phone call asking if they came. I am happy that someone had come in to address the problem, but the leak has happened before and nothing has been fixed. Thankfully LA doesn't rain much.
2nd period: I get a new student. She seems sweet and intelligent, and it's a constant reminder that I could be getting a new student anytime. Last year, I had a new student for the last month of school. Secretary calls to ask me to sub a class during 6th. My bubble is still here. Trying to remain zen and calm and not angry at all the interruptions and asinine announcements from the principal.
The day actually turned out really well though. A bunch of kids turned in their extra credit projects from spring break, and after school I found out two very hardworking, smart, sweet students of mine got accepted to King Drew Medical Magnet school. It's the first notice I've heard this year that some of my students are going to a school that's not Compton High. So many of my students deserve something better, and I don't know how to help them. CAMS sucks for accepting almost no students from my school. Compton kids really have few choices for high school unfortunately.
Honestly though, if the kids are good, which they were today, I can handle the outside idiocy a lot better. Even the BTSA meeting after school ended early, and I was able to get my car from the body shop (yay for a new bumper). Went to Cardio Core at Spectrum and felt like my body went through a processing facility, but it feels good to survive a class (I had felt like I was being hazed, along with being amused at sliding down the bosu because of a very sweaty leg that was the only thing balancing me on it... har har). Mom cooked an awesome stir fry noodle dish and packed some for lunch tomorrow.
Sometimes moving stuff between my parents' home and my personal place is a pain. With barely functioning legs, I barely lugged my backpack/laptop, purse, lunch bag, 4 inch thick DAT study book, spiral notebook, BTSA meeting handouts, taxes file folder, and tote bag full of gym clothes/toiletries all in one trip! On the walk from the car to the house, I dropped the BTSA handouts which spread all over the lawn like an awkward middle schooler's textbooks, at which point my DAT book and taxes folder fell while bending over to pick up the handouts. After picking up the mass in an armful and spilling it on the front porch, I blindly searched for the house key in the dark, and kicked/dropped everything inside the house. More papers fell, and in frustration I yanked at the taxes folder, whose elastic band hit my hand pretty hard in the process. Like when you're kicking or throwing inanimate objects and they get their revenge on you? It was like that.
It actually felt comical looking at all the spillage at the end. It was a long day, but the kids were sweet (well and some weren't there), the gym kicked my ass but I survivied, and my taxes are done. To me, the pile of junk that I've accumulated from day to day life is one indication of a busy life. While it gets stressful and sleep deprived, at least I can say that I'm tackling the world while young and energetic, to experience and do as much as possible. And that feels so good.
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I always feel stressed out reading your posts. That, or I can feel the stress in your post seeping into me as I read them!
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