a terrible, no good, very bad day.

ugh.

I know you might be tiring of hearing me complain, but isn't that the definition of blogging?  (in a way?)  Today was awful.  awful.  awful.  awful.  Everything that could go wrong, did.  I had technology issues.  I had redo-work-that-I-already-did-issues.  I had dicipline issues.  I made a kid cry-or rather he chose to cry when I called him out on his behavior and had him call his mother to explain the situation.  I had disorganization issues.  But on top of everything, I had kid issues, and I hate that the most.  Everything else can go wrong...the technology, the energy vampires, the parents, the "documentation"....everything, but when it comes down to me and my students-if that goes wrong, I just can't handle it.  I hated that I had to call a parent for dicipline today, and I hated that I had rude kids today.  Kids that made me feel that what I was doing just wasn't quite good enough, and it bothered me all dang day.

And then I log into all my stuff tonight, and read an email from a kid-not a parent, but a kid.  Another kid that I called out today for being rude, disrespectful, and downright condescending.  I explained that his demeanor, while maybe not intentional, left the wrong impression, and he might need to rethink that whole aspect of his conversational style.  In his email, he apologized for that, and hoped his comments did not ruin my day.

Well...fancy that. 

It still wasn't a great day, but that helped.  It helped a lot.

Edit:
Thank you ladies for the kudos.  I hope what I say and do makes a difference-even on these kind of days.  I reread that email again this morning, and it just makes me laugh.  Kids are so funny...see for yourself.  (and for the record, there was no detention with his name on it on my desk-the grapevine must have made that one up.)

Mrs Scroggins,


I'm sending you this email because I wanted to explain myself a little better about what I said in class and also because I heard through the grapevine that there was a detention with my name on it on your desk.
First of all I hope the detention is not for what I said - actually, I hope that there *isn't* a detention sitting on your desk with my name on it and I am sending you this email for nothing.

Anyway, I think prerogative was a bad choice of wording on my part and I also mentioned you specifically instead of teachers in general. I also don't think you completely understood what I was trying to ask. What I meant to ask was if there was an overarching rule that teachers weren't allowed to assign homework due the day of TAKS testing. (My question was answered when my social studies teacher did just that.)

I apologize if I sounded rude or came across as being questionative of your authority. I hope my comments didn't upset you or ruin your day, and  I'd also like to say that I have never been to detention and I hope to keep it that way - but whether I go or not is your prerogative. (Maybe I shouldn't use that word...)

ya, it helped a lot again.