Now, that's better

Yesterday was MUCH better.  I made a few adjustments that helped and my technology was on my side which also helped.

Tuesday after school I had talked to Jamie, who is the instructional coach and also my friend and also my life coach (I designated her as that because she knows everything), about the catastrophe that was my day. She offered to come in during math and help and I quickly took her up on the offer.  

Jami, the principal, also came into my classroom during math.

I felt like I really must be on the struggle bus.

At lunch, I saw Jami and I said, "Did you come into my classroom because you heard what a wreck I was yesterday?"

He said, "No, I was counting your students."  The district, to their credit, is concerned about our big classes.  

Then he said, "Did math not go well yesterday?"

I said, "Nothing went well yesterday."

Speaking of Jami, he sent home a bulletin to parents last night and included was a reminder about our new pick up and drop off procedure:

It's not the most flattering way to be described, but he wasn't wrong.  We did look like wet rats.  This torrential rain of biblical proportions came down right when the bell rang.  It seems like the only kind of weather we have lately is extreme weather, with a side of California smoke.  There was thunder and lightning and hail and it was really something.

There were also hysterical children and tears and chaos.  

One of my little girls was sobbing because she couldn't find her bother and she was terrified.  I had her huddled under my umbrella with my arm around her and every time there was lightning or thunder her little shoulders would shake and she would wail.  We walked all around the perimeter of the school and we finally found him, warm and dry in the office.  Then I had another little girl, sitting bereft on a bench.  The secretaries were working the phones like the superheroes they are, one in English and one in Spanish.  One of them told my student her mom was outside.  She seemed too scared to move from her spot.  I held out my hand to her and she took it and we walked hand in hand until I delivered her to her mom.  

After we finally got everyone sorted, the teachers took off their shoes and walked around barefoot because our shoes were all so soaked.  

I felt proud to be numbered among them.  I work in a school that cares deeply about our students.  If that was in doubt, you could just eye the drenched teachers and administrators and aides who spent 30 minutes helping reunite parents and kids.

Besides the bonding time I had with two little girls dodging lightning bolts looking for family members, I enjoyed my day with my new class.

I started reading a new chapter book to them and I loved the way they listened reverently, engrossed in the story.  There are few things that delight me more than reading aloud to appreciative children.

I was wearing these earrings:

On the way to art, one little boy looked up appraisingly at me and said, "Are your earrings made of potato chips?"

I said no and he looked skeptical.

I bent over so he could feel them.  He said, "Wow, they look just like potato chips!"

I don't know what kind of potato chips he eats but I do know one thing.

I like my job.