A Day in the Life...

I realized that I must be getting really used to being in the classroom when I found myself writing the 1st grade teacher a note at the end of the day that went something like this:

"The class went really smoothly today. No major behavior problems out of the ordinary. Lukas was really helpful.

The only issues were the following:

1) Christopher was complaining of a tummy ache. I sent him to the bathroom and to get a drink, but when it persisted, I sent him to the nurse. They sent him back saying "try to make it". So I reassured him that he was allowed to RUN to the trash or outside if he needed to throw up and didn't need to ask. I'm so glad I did because not a minute later, he was at the trash can throwing up everywhere! It also got on his clothing, the walls, door and carpet. I called the janitor....hopefully it will be cleaned up soon!

and

2) Hailee was crying pretty hard all morning. I had a little talk with her at recess and she explained to me that she found her dog dead during the weekend and was really sad about it. She told me how her brother was in jail and her sister just had a baby, and it was just her and the dog at home. So she misses the dog a lot and 'one of her mom's boyfriends' came over to bury it. I encouraged her to write a letter and draw a picture to her dog so she will always remember how much she loved her. I told her it's okay to feel sad. She felt a lot better after the picture and we shared it with the class so they would understand why she had been sad."

Whew! A teacher wears so many hats during the day! The exhaustion and satisfaction are both significant at the end of a day of teaching 20+ kids.