The Ups and Downs of Being a Teacher

Haven't written much lately about the wonderful topic of teaching, so for those of you who love to peek into the classrooms and see what really goes on, here's a tidbit of what my past week has been like. I'll cut out the minutiae and really delve into the juicy bits:

Ups:

*Having my students hug me and tell me how much they love me...and I know they mean it. They have so little positive adult interaction in their lives, it makes me feel like what I'm doing here is so worthwhile.

*Seeing my kids raise their reading, writing and math scores. EVERY single one of my kiddos this year has made huge gains already: even the special-ed ones. Not every single one is on grade level of course (take that, No-Child-Left-a-Dime!), but they are all learning and I can prove it. They'll leave my classroom much smarter and more prepared than when they entered it and that's all any teacher can really hope for.

Having an old student write me a letter telling me how much I influenced her to get her life moving in the right direction, that I'm her favorite teacher and she promises to always do her best and not get pregnant in high school and she'll go to college. (not kidding: that was her goal and it's a good one considering her mom had 3 kids by the time she was 18).

*Another teacher brought me flowers today as a "Thank You" for the extra help I gave her. I work in a great building: we all collaborate together and I did it because that's what I do, but getting the extra thanks was really nice.

*Feeling like I'm really doing something with my life that may not matter now, or in 5 years, but I'm providing a stable, positive example for every kid that passes through my door. I'm the "port in the storm", so to speak and I love it.

After all that "feel goodness", hope you're ready for this...

Downs:

*One student was called out of class this week and had to go to the office. They never tell you why. She came back about 30 minutes later looking very upset. As I have 26 kids, I didn't have the time right that second to go find out what was wrong, and I forgot about it till after lunch. Her mom called and asked to speak with her: right in the middle of math. I said sure, but I was thinking that was really strange. I had to get back to the other 25 kids and started teaching math again while she was talking to her mom and about 10 minutes later I looked up and she was still talking and crying! I ran over to the phone and snatched it away from her (I don't give a f%%k WHO you are: no one calls up one of my little ones and makes them cry in the middle of the school day!) and told Mom that now was NOT the time to have whatever conversation they were having and hung up on her. My little one was still crying so I got the other kids working and took her to my desk and the poor little thing just broke down all over my shoulder. Crying her little eyes out as I held her. She finally told me that Mom was in jail: she was living with Grandma with her 5 sisters and Mom had driven drunk and gotten caught and left the youngest one all alone. Social services came to talk to her (that was why she had left class that morning) and Mom was calling from jail very upset because she wanted to know what my little one had told the cops.

Can you believe that???? Calling up a 7 year old in the middle of a school day to grill her about what they told the cops (and she must have been terrified to rat out her mom...) from jail???? Unbelievable. I wanted to take her home with me, but I watched her trudge slowly away when the bell rang.

*Almost got beat up by a 12 year old. She (yes, a girl...how cool does that make me???) is the older sister of one of my kiddos and she didn't like that I kept her brother in for 5 minutes after the bell rang to talk to him. Oh, she would have totally beat me up: I don't know how to fight! Luckily, another teacher came by and she dropped it and left.

*Another middle-school boy (brother of the same kid) got in my face this morning before school. He was playing on the 1st grade playground and I told him to leave and go to class. He squared his shoulders at me (for a split second I wished I remembered some of my kick-boxing moves) and glared and left. Fun.

*Spent 1 hour dealing with a punk 5th grader who ruined one of the brand-new soccer balls that the soldiers gave my class for Xmas. I knew it was him but he kept yelling at me that it wasn't him and it was huge drama. I finally got him to break down and cry and now he owes every recess in detention writing my class 26 apology letters.

So there you go. For those of you who wonder what it's REALLY like to teach in Commerce City, that's a quick glimpse of the last 4 days. That doesn't count the report cards that are due, the testing we need to give and collect, the data we need to enter, the phone calls that need to be made, the CSAP test that we're in the midst of giving and oh yes! the teaching.

How many weeks till summer vacation?