Just your average Tuesday in May

 Believe it or not, this is me trying to keep my desk clean.

It gets away from me every single day.

We did more testing in the morning.  One boy was pretty out of it and refused to work and I could tell he was sick.  He also refused to admit he was sick.  Sometimes it is clear that parents are at work and they are not allowed to call home.  It breaks my heart a little.

By 10:00, he was sitting there, quietly crying.  I took him to the nurse's room where he could lie down.  The lady in the office that speaks Spanish called his mom and she was indeed at work, but far away and couldn't be there for a while.  The sweet boy just sat there and wept.  I asked him if I could do anything for him.  He didn't want anything.  It got to be lunchtime and I tried to get him lunch, but he didn't want any.  I asked the office ladies to call his 5th grade brother down.  I thought he could maybe cheer up his brother.  This student is the third one in the family and I love them all completely.  I wish that I could follow their mother around and have her teach me her ways, because I have never met such sweet boys.  They have a kindergarten or maybe first grade little brother and I hope I get him in a few years because I want the entire set!

The 5th grader was the picture of sympathy like I knew he would be.  He spoke to his brother softly in Spanish.  I asked him to ask the brother if he wanted to come to my classroom and watch something on Disney+ on my computer while everyone else was at lunch.  He didn't.  Finally, he just bent over his brother and wrapped him in his arms and told him he loved him.

It was the sweetest thing I've seen in a very long time.

His mom eventually was able to make it and I hope the dear boy feels better soon!

A girl had sauntered in right when we were finishing testing.  I asked her why she was late.  (They know we're testing!)

She said, "Oh, my parents went to the temple and then we all went to McDonald's."

O-kaaaaaaaay. 

A girl dropped her completely full water bottle on the carpet and I handed her a paper towel from the classroom roll which is the least absorbent material probably on earth.  Happily we live in a desert and while the wet spot was still there when I left for the day, it will dry eventually.

A girl brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Teacher Appreciation Week. She included a card that thanked me for teaching her the metric system.

A few students looked closely at the flowers and wondered if there was pollen in there.  (The day before we'd had a science lesson about pollinators.)

At lunch recess, the aide on duty confiscated a glass bottle of liquid some my students were taking swigs of and sharing around.

It was hot sauce.  

Valentina's hot sauce.  One of them had brought it from home.

I had recess duty in the afternoon.  One of my boys, who mostly sits morosely by himself in the middle of the grass every recess, was invited by a girl in Miriam's class to play four square.  

It kind of made my day.

On the heels of that, a girl in my class came outside with her fingers pinched on the least amount of fabric possible on her sweatshirt.  She said, "It got toilet water on it."

I didn't really understand.  "It dropped in the toilet?"

She said, "Yes, I put it on the toilet paper holder and it fell in."

These are the kinds of problems one doesn't get taught about when you are getting a degree in elementary education.  I have a healthy stash of plastic grocery bags and I put it inside and hung it up and reminded her to take it home when the bell rang, because she was merrily leaving without it.

Just another day of highs and lows; chaos and sweetness; you won't believe this and I can't make this stuff up.

Not giving up yet

 I told my students not to finish the math test in one day.  I told them that there were 60 questions and if they finished it in one day, they are going too fast.

Two of them finished and got the lowest scores I've ever seen on the math test.

I feel demoralized and humbled.  It is easy to feel like I failed them.

It is also easy to feel like I just want out of there.  Everyone from the school counselor to the administrators to my team teachers to the aides think I have a super hard class.  They exhaust me.  Much of the challenge is from things beyond their control and beyond my control.  Until I have Adderall in my skittle jar, those things will just continue.

But, I wish I could have made more of a positive impact.  I keep thinking, maybe if I hadn't missed so much school!

I know how to make myself feel even more discouraged....

I have 14 more days and I will try my best to be positive.  Even if they aren't at grade level, I will do my best for them to know that their teacher loves them.

For the counterweights, Hannah texted me a witty description of the birds outside her office window.  (We have a fantasy of being bird watchers together.). I had a nice walk with Kim.  She told me a tale that had me laughing out loud.  Adam and I made dinner together and chatted about everything.  Even on my worst days, there are things to be thankful for.

Weekend

 Such a good weekend!  It was full of expected and unexpected goodness.

Friday was a typical May school day, just in time for the first day of May.  Chaos and anarchy.  We didn't have any testing.  We read about Greek gods and did partitioning in math and were well on our way with phonics when I got called into an IEP meeting that they forgot to tell me about.

The person who forgot apologized profusely to me multiple times.  I told him he should apologize to the aide who took over my class with my jumble of instructions as I walked out the door.  She was in fact thrown to the lions.

The IEP was supposed to take 30 minutes.  At 1 hr 10 minutes, I ducked out to get my class whipped into shape before leaving.  You never saw a more relieved person than the aide when I walked in the door.  All the kids were yelling and clamoring around and she was standing by the outside door like she was ready to bolt at any moment.

I went back into the IEP after the students left and the meeting eventually came to a blessed close.

May.  Not for the faint of heart.

We had a quiet and welcome evening at home.  Saturday I did my things around the house then met Emma for lunch.  After, we went to The Devil Wears Prada 2.  Emma said she was tempering her expectations because sequels were never as good so I tried to follow her wise example.  I don't think it was as good as the first one, but we enjoyed it and we enjoyed the people next to us who were so tickled by everything from the trailers to the end of the movie.  It's nice to be around happy people.

I hugged Emma good-bye and she casually mentioned she wouldn't be coming to Sunday dinner and I know that I'm lucky to have her as often as I do.

Still.

I like it when she comes home!

When I got home, Adam and I started our errands.  We went to Deseret Book for garments for me.  While I was puzzling over the new sizing, Adam was looking at art.  He will probably finally make a decision for what to buy for the bishop's office by the time he is released.  I was shocked and so pleasantly surprised when Erin and her daughter Aubrey walked in!  We hugged and then immediately started talking about the garment sizing like we were picking up mid conversation instead of we hadn't seen each other in at least over a year.  Adam came looking for me, because I was taking so long.  He asked, "Did you get lost?"

I said, "Look who I found!"

We chatted for a minute and then went our separate ways and it was such a happy thing to have run into each other!

Adam and I finished up our errands and brought Jersey Mike's home to Mark.  They have a pretty good gluten free Philly cheese steak sandwich.

Sunday morning, I was getting a slow start, watching the Follow Him podcast on YouTube and just easing into things, when I got a text from Erin asking if I wanted to get together.  She said she had until 10:30 and I did too.  I said, "Yes!"

She said she was coming my way.  I took a speedy shower and got ready and even had time to straighten the pillows on the couch before she arrived.  It was such an unexpected and wonderful turn of events!  We chatted for about an hour.

Her cute grandson was being blessed and we had the Lindon Temple dedication so we hugged good-bye again.

Adam was at the stake center with the other bishops in case of any recommend issues and there was a sign posted that there were no seats saved, buy Melva saved us seats all the same.  I brought my actual paper scriptures to read while I waited for it to start and I forgot how much I like those old fashioned things.  Adam joined me right before it started and it was nice to sit next to him and such a blessing to be able to watch the dedication.  I loved every minute of it.  There were great speakers and then President Eyring dedicated the temple and I was filled with the desire to be better.  Always a good thing.

After a quick lunch of cheese and crackers and grapes, Adam and I went to our church where we were having child care for kids from our ward who were too young for the dedication (which was being rebroadcast at the stake center in the afternoon).  It was Adam's idea; he's a good kid.  Melva and Neil came and helped too.  We had seven energetic and cute kids.  They played a bit in the nursery.  I did a singing time and Neil had made a slideshow about temples.  Then we let them "build" temples out of sugar cubes.  More than one sugar cube was popped into a mouth!  Yuck.  I love sweet treats, but just eating a sugar cube?  Doesn't seem good.

We went to the gym for some chaotic games, then cleaned up the nursery, gave them a snack and their parents started showing up.  All four adults thought it was easier and went faster than expected.  I had brought books to read to them, a few more games and coloring pages, but we didn't need any of it.

It's better to have more things than you need!

Mark was accidentally glutened on Saturday so he was feeling sick all day, poor kid.  It makes me sad and I think it would feel a little demoralizing to have celiac's desease.  There are so many foods you can't eat, good foods, and then sometimes you accidentally get sick anyway.

Adam and I took a walk, but stopped and sat on a bench when we got a FaceTime call from our favorite Californians.  We came home and had dinner and watched the YA fireside with Elder Stevenson.  (Adam and I are young at heart?)

Today I am off to school for more testing and I am sporting a Star Wars t-shirt that none of my students will understand.

May the 4th be with you.

Grateful Friday

 Another Friday has rolled around.

I'm grateful for my team.  They are flexible when I need them to be.  They are funny and supportive and OK with my foibles.  They have good ideas.

We like to take walks together when we are collaborating.  Yesterday Caroline said, "I keep seeing you guys everywhere."

Alissa said, "Well, we're team of the year."

I said, "For a few more weeks."

Miriam said, "Nah, we're going for a repeat."

I love my team.

I'm grateful for a weekend where I am crossing all the fingers that I will have more time with Adam.  Time with that guy is at such a premium.

I'm grateful for the Lindon Temple dedication this Sunday.  

I am grateful I have Kim to walk with.  We chat and the walk time just flies by.  I loved loved loved my walking buddies in Washington.  It only took me over a decade, but I am grateful to have found a Utah walking buddy!

I am grateful for the growth that I am seeing in some of my students.  I am grateful for their sweetness and affection.  I am grateful it is almost the end of the year because I am so over a few of them and their behaviors!

Doing what I can

 Emma and I are going to go see The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Saturday.  I asked Adam if he wanted to go and he didn't.  I asked him if he had watched the first one and he hadn't.  What?!? 

We watched it Monday night because I insisted.

He liked it.

So maybe he'll go with us on Saturday (although he wants to do some yard work).

In other news, we are still slogging through testing.  All but two of my students are finished with the first one.  It isn't what anyone would call a blazing success, but maybe better things are ahead?

If nothing else, this makes me happy.  

The Amazon box is full of snacks I ordered for testing.  They don't know what is in the box and I'm not going to tell them it is snacks.  They are too short to peek into the box.  Before school, I pull some snacks out for the day.

Tuesday was goldfish crackers.  I told them, "I o-fish-ally believe in you!"

Testing time brings out the cheesy in all of us.  Except, yesterday it was fruit snacks and I didn't have anything cutesy to go with it.

I also have little turtles they get during the test.  At the end of all the testing, they'll get to take their turtles home.  They have named them things like Albert and Tory.  The adoration they feel for their turtles makes me happy.

I am trying to keep the main thing the main thing and remember they are little kids.

When other sources cease to make me whole

 Last night I learned of the passing of one of my dearest friend's husband.  It was completely unexpected.  My heart hurts for her and their children and everyone.

It really puts low reading score angst into perspective....

Life is precious.  People are precious.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most precious and priceless thing I know of.

Rainy days that are Mondays

 We started testing yesterday.  I banished one student to the special ed room (the plan in case it was necessary) because he couldn't.  Sit.  Still.  Several of the logins didn't work.  We had to try and try again.  One girl had a full on panic attack and an aide took her to the office and Camie talked her down.

We only did one hour.  I told them that the test was long enough that I didn't want them to finish today.  They shouldn't finish today.  If they finished they were not taking enough time.

Two students finished and got low low scores.

From there, the day only kept on its trajectory.  Since it was Monday, we had no specialties. It rained all day long.  A girl had a bloody nose.  We had inside recess all day long.  They were so amped up by the afternoon that we abandoned all the ships and I taught them how to do the Mexican Hat Dance.  They love it and they kept running and crashing into each other for no reason except they hadn't had recess all day.

The last part of the day, third grade had Read with a Cop.  They usually bring a book, but yesterday they did not.  I found a book and we assembled in the cafeteria.  The kids were antsy and giggly and generally out of control.  I told the policeman that I apologized in advance.  He did great and taught them a game and read the book and then fielded questions and got a little too specific about the statute for kidnapping charges.

Moving on please.

After he was done, we stayed in the gym and played red light green light for five minutes.  Anything to not have to go back to our classrooms.

They cleaned up and I shooed the last of them out the door and it was the first time I had my classroom silent all day.  I tidied up and straightened the desks and turned off the lights and sat quietly at my desk in the rain soaked light coming through the window and mapped out today.

I also checked the weather.

We aren't supposed to have rain.