5 days

of being sick really puts a damper on plans.  I think I have gotten every cold that I missed out on for the last 9 months.  I was feeling better yesterday, and thought that I would go to work today.  I was dressed and everything, working my way through breakfast when I realized that if I went in today it would be a miserable day for all.  Little did I know that there was a funeral going on in the district and they had no TOC's around.  I think there is a mother/EA in my room today.  That would be interesting to see.  Now I lay here feeling slightly guilty.  I just know deep down though that it's not worth dragging myself in.  I haven't received any panicked phone calls, so I have to assume that everything is going okay. 
I think I need a nap.

I am ....

EXAUSTED!  There were many times today that I thought about my boss and wondered how she does it everyday.  Granted, she is not trying to teach a class of 2nd graders at the same time, but still.

I was Teacher In Charge (TIC) today.  I told my husband at some point during the day that I didn't ever want to get my Master's.  Everything was quiet first thing and when I got to almost 9:15 without incident, I thought I was good.  Nope.  Right when I was explaining to my class the job I would have to do today (I've done it before and they know what to do if I need to leave quickly), I could hear one of our Spec Ed students screaming in the hallway.  I went to check it out and ended up being in that situation for around 45 mins.  My kids went about their business and my neighbouring teachers looked in on them.  After that, I managed to get back into my room for 30 mins to do some reading assessments before recess.


ON the way to the staffroom, I hear wailing from another Spec Ed student in the grade 1 room.  I got in there to see the Reading Recovery teacher standing beside here with a firm look on her face.  The little person was fussing because she was mad she didn't get to go outside with her friends.  (She'd decided to waste her lesson time, so she had to make it up.)  I put a quick end to that nonsense and saw her off with the RR teacher.

 I got into the staffroom for a snack, but on the way through the secretary told me that something was in the toilet in the boys' bathroom.  Goody.  I grabbed a piece of fruit before I dealt with that, and just as I sat down, she came back in to tell me that I had 2 clients to deal with.  Fighting on the playground.  One of the students involved was a student I had last year, so I knew how to deal with him.  He spent a few minutes with me in my room after recess until he was ready to go back to class.

I almost got through the next hour of Math (and more assessing) and a lesson on apostrophes when about 2 minutes until lunch, I get a visit from the grade5/6 teacher.  He has sent a client to the office for me.  Apparently, the young gentleman got mad when a classmate returned property he'd stolen to the rightful owner.  He rewarded the intruder with a hard shoulder while walking past.  Now, I wasn't even sure I knew this student, and I was pretty sure he was going to be at least as big as me.  He'd taken advantage of the lunch bell and had buggered outside.  I had him paged back into the office.  We had a chat and he joined the collection of kids I had in the office.  2 kids playing lego and my fighter.  He stayed with me the whole lunch hour and because he had no lunch, I shared some of mine.  We got along fine, and in the end he went back to class.  I told him that if he needed to, I had some space in my classroom for him.  He go the message and I didn't hear of him again.

The fighter got to go back to class to eat lunch and his spot was taken by a 2nd grader who decided that throwing rocks at other kids was a fun game.  I still had the big kid in there, so we all had a talk about throwing rocks and bodies in anger.  Then we talked about video games.  I can only be mad for so long.

I did manage to eat my sandwich before I headed back to class.  We made it through about 20 mins of silent reading, before my fighter showed up with a sour face and an angry TOC.  He'd decided that he "hated all TOC's" proclaiming his innocence all the way down the hallway.  My kids were getting agendas done, getting an art project finished and getting ready for gym.  He took his work to the office to finish while we were in gym and then I used him to start a writing lesson in class.  When he uses he powers for good instead of evil, he's great.  He finished out his day with me.

At the bell I needed to make sure my kids were out the door and noone was left behind.  At sometime while I was running back and forth between the busses and the halls, an older student allegedly choked another boy.  Yay.  I didn't hear about that until 3:30 or so.  I had to make 2 parent phone calls, which were not so bad.  Then I touched base with the Fighter's teacher.

I waved with honesty at those buses today as they left the school yard.  I left at 4pm, exhausted.  I don't know how she does it every single day. 

Where did the last month go?

When I logged on today, I was a little surprised that it's been so long since I blogged.  The past month has just slipped away.
2 new babies born, outside projects to do, inside Spring Cleaning, work, migraines...  so much going on, but none of it very interesting.  Except the new babies.  Both girls.   I'd really been hoping that Michelle would have a boy because I'd had a boy present all ready for her, but Olivia is pretty cute so that's okay. 

Baby Olivia and me

We are winding down at school.  Or winding up, whichever way you want to look at it.  Now the testing begins.  Our marks have to be in to the office by June 4, and that does not leave me  much time to get other stuff done.  I am glad that we don't have all the standardized testing that the US have to do (yet) and this data is only used to chart progress (or the lack of it).  The problem with the assessments is that they take time.  Time that I could be doing other stuff with my students.  Oh well.  I have been planning an event at our school called Identity Day.  The idea is that everyone, staff and students share one thing about themselves with the rest of our school community.  I got the idea from here a couple of years ago and was really excited about it.  Chris and I pitched to the staff last year, but with all the turmoil and other events happening at the school, it got pushed into the beginning of June.  So far the only feedback that I have received from parents has been negative, so we'll see what the turnout is like.  I would like to do it early next year.
It is now May long weekend and we are relaxing after spending yesterday cleaning and working around the house.  We had a beautiful day yesterday ( I actually had shorts on), but today is cloudy.  At least it has not snowed.  It snowed last week.  We had inside days at school because the kids are not wearing warm clothes anymore.  Flip flops are not snow appropriate.