I don't even know how to describe my day today; it was more than hectic/crazy/emotional or anything I've quite experienced before. It may have partially been attributed to the weather; the students are just itching to have an outdoor recess again & the cold , inclement weather has made that an impossibility for them. They get really antsy and start misbehaving as a result though. They were hardly listening the entire school day, & then two students who were absent for the fractions intro yesterday tried to act like they already understood exactly what we were talking about today.
This morning I had an upset parent call the school counselor & insisting that I get her daughter referred to Special Ed because she thinks her daughter has dyslexia. She won't listen to reason either, because a student with dyslexia would not be able to read 89 words a minute with 99% accuracy. But anyway............it is always interesting to me that parents seek to blame others (their teachers) for deficits or flaws in a child's learning, when it may very well be the fault of the parents for not reading with them or doing homework at home. That same parent, might I add, sent her child to school without brushing her teeth, & I gagged every time she came to talk to me or ask me something in class. How thankful I was that the school counselor gave her a spare toothbrush & toothpaste.
The mother of a MIA student (he has been in Mexico with his sisters since before Christmas Break) came to inform me that he is not doing well, & while she wishes for him to return, the doctors are concerned about him traveling, because he has low brain fluid (which will affect his health and his learning.) She was very stressed out about the whole situation.
One student who has ADD, and I suspect a touch of ODD, (because he becomes very defiant every time I catch him doing something he should not be doing) began a new behavior contract today. I was very hopeful about it, but he did not really do that well with it, which was discouraging. I am trying to find a way to help him be successful and make the most of his education.
Then, I have this student who has reported physical abuse various times now, & DCFS finally came & interviewed him at the school today. Well, he was a mess after that, & didn't want to come back into class & have students looking at him. I squatted down in the hallway on his level, & talked to him, trying to reassure him he did the right thing in reporting the abuse. Poor thing! He really felt bad for "getting his dad in trouble" (even though it is a risk for him in his life right now.) He stayed glued to my side pretty much the rest of the day, venting about various things and writing his feelings out. That was very heart-wrenching and bewildering to read; he's only a 10 year old!
Probably one of the worst things is that by the end of the day, I was so emotionally exhausted that I was set off by every little thing my students were doing. I felt bad later, but I was mostly upset with them & expressed that at the end of the math block very bluntly. I know they will forgive me though, & tomorrow is a new day.....thank heavens!
