Better day but still not optimal

I woke up this morning as usual tired, but ready to go to work. I got all of my things together, while I was making sure my boys were up and getting ready. I transported the Halloween treats that I made for my students to the car. I had to let it warm up while I finished getting ready. It has been really cold the last few nights; this morning it was 28 degrees.


I have had my Halloween treats ready for about two weeks. I started buying things to put in them about a month ago; as soon as Halloween stuff hit the store shelves. I have 24 students this year, so the treats were not cheap. I spent approximately 75 dollars on them. They each have two treats that I will be giving them. One is from me (the teacher) no sugar or candy allowed. The other is from me (the mom) and my family. This one contains sugar and candy. I do this so I won't get into trouble.


I arrive at school and immediately take off to the copy room. I make copies of selection tests for Wednesday. I am informed that we (the school) have no water again! This is nothing new this year. We have been without water for altogether about 2 1/2 weeks this year. Ms. East informs me that I will be getting an ELMO for my room. I'm ecstatic, I've wanted one for a while. I return to my room and prepare for my students, who begin to trickle in. Ms. Howington comes in to observe my reading lesson at 9:00 until 10:30. I am nervous but confident that we (Mr. Cruey and I) will do well. We do! She shows me her remarks, no bad words to say.


At 10:30, we line up the 5th and 4th grades to travel down two flights of steps to the only bathrooms we can use in the building. We can use them, because the board has paid someone to transport water into the restrooms so we can flush the toilets after all of the students (around 100) have finished. Still not very sanitary. We provide all of the students with an antibacterial hand wipe as they exit.


They return upstairs and 4th comes to my room for reading. At 11:50, again we take the procession downstairs for a bathroom break before lunch. I have lunch duty, so I watch the children eat before I have my lunch at 12:30. I make my customary track to the top of the hill and have a couple before returning to work.


We have interventions after my lunch, but I did not get to do mine. My advanced and on level students normally go to enrichment, but both teachers that do this with them are not there. I have all but about 4 or 5 of my students. I can't do interventions with my 6 with everyone else so I work with 4th grade to finish reading.


At 1:15 my 4th grade travels down the hall to nutrition class. They attend these classes every Tuesday for about 7 weeks. I'll be glad when they are over. After they leave I take my 5th grade to the computer lab and show them how we can use the smart board to play games online, educational games. We play one together and at 2:00 my 4th graders return. When they return they all have a tootsie roll sucker in their mouths. I put 5th grade on the computers and pull up 4th daily fix-its on the smart board. I walk out of the computer lab and head straight for the office.


I inform the principal about the suckers and we all laugh about how a nutritionist would give candy to kids. I return and I review homework with 4th and 5th grade. We leave the computer lab at around 2:30. I line them all up again to take a trip down to the restrooms. When we return it is now 5th grades turn in nutrition class. I tell them to line up at the door and we wait.


I can't teach or do anything with my 4th graders because I have to stand in the doorway and watch the 5th grade until they enter the class. I wait 15 minutes and finally I had to do something. I opened the door and informed the nutritionist that the 5th graders have been waiting 15 minutes. She retorts that 3rd grade was late. Wow! I respond in the same tone, we don't do things that way! If a group is late then they just lose their time, we don't pull it from another time. I don't think she liked it, but I really don't care.


Now it is my planning period. I prepare things that need to go home. I run down my boss and speak with her a minute. A parent walks into my room to talk about her son and we talk for about 10 minutes. I finally get all of the students out the door and where they need to be. I drive straight home, my mom kept the baby, I don't have to pick her up. I am still sick, but at least I'm not Sick and Tired today!