Grateful Friday

Things that happened yesterday:

A student threw up.  When Riley came with the big carpet cleaner it smelled AWFUL because it hadn't been used recently (?) and we took clipboards and pencils and decamped to the library while the smell dissipated.  (I didn't need anyone else throwing up.)

A student emptied the contents of his desk in a rage.  I made a deal with him that if he would work for a little bit, he could play with Legos.  Then he found out I only have Duplo Legos and he was back to rage.  I borrowed some Legos from Miriam and stopped at Walmart on the way home and bought myself some Legos.  It is survival of the fittest out there.

We did a "candy factory" activity where they had to count a big pile of candy.  I divided them into four groups and they each had candy.  The point of the activity was for them to discover that counting by tens and hundreds was the way to go.  It was all going along pretty swimmingly.  One student snuck some paper and was folding origami (he's pretty amazing at it actually).  I took the paper away.

He felt guilty.

At the end of the activity when we finally learned we had 443 pieces of candy (from the bulk bin at Winco!), I gave them each one piece.

He said morosely, "I don't deserve a piece."

I told him he did.  He's such a cute earnest little guy.  He wears his polo shirt tucked in tight and is always respectful.  

From the What have I done?!? department I handed my students this page.  It was kind of a fun little filler activity if we needed it before recess.  

I can't even tell you the disaster it was.  Everyone wanted to tell me all the answers.  I said, "You don't need to tell me, just write it down."  I said that twelve million times.  I explained what siblings are for those that didn't know and then they all wanted to tell me the names and ages of their siblings.  They all wanted to tell me about their plane trips and if they hadn't been on a plane, we needed to discuss that.  Also, some of them are planning trips.  They wanted to know how to spell the months for their birthday.  I said, "You don't need to write the month, just the number of the day."  

Do you want to know how many phones we have?

Do I count my first name or my last name or both.  What about my middle names?  

They wondered what even is a lucky number.

Just no.  Just turn it in.  Just let's forget this unfortunate chapter of our lives.

Never has so much time and angst been spent on something that doesn't matter at all!

After school, Jordan, a 4th grade teacher came to talk to me about her class.  She doesn't have all the same students I had last year, but she has enough of them.  I gave her empathy and strategies that sometimes worked.  She said, "I've never seen anything like it."

I said, "I know."

I also said, "I'm so sorry."

She said, "It's OK.  I'll be OK."

And she will.  I was OK.  I survived it.  We have each other to turn to in our times of peril.  And as I chatted with Jordan, so many of their struggles are 100% not their fault.  They did not choose their train wreck home lives.

I'm grateful to work at a place where the teachers care so much.  I'm grateful my new class is so far easier.  I'm grateful it is Friday.

(This is exhausting.)

Another thing I'm grateful about?  FaceTime calls from Braeden.  Last night they called and QE saw me and asked, "Boppa?"  I told her he was still at work.  Then she said, "Nana!" like it was exciting so that made my day.  I read her The Wheels on the Bus three times because she kept saying again and who am I to deny that girl anything?