Go, Go, Go

I was feeling so good after this weekend.  After going, going, going it was nice to have a 4 day weekend and catch up on things at a nice pace.  I had a little time for fun, but also worked on school stuff a lot as well (I know you can relate).  At the end of the day yesterday, I felt wonderful because I had caught up on everything and was ready to go for today.  Then today happened and it was go, go, go all over again!!!!!!!  I got to school early (as I do every day) to see if the copy machine had gotten toner (Thursday morning it had run out) so I could copy my homework packets.  I also needed to grab stuff for our art of the week project.  Copy machine still out of toner, but got the paper I needed for art.  I was thinking if we don't get toner before the end of the day I'm going to have 1 happy class because they won't have any homework this week.  lol  Got back to class, put out morning work, straightened up all of the things that I had taken out of my wheelie cart that I had worked on at home and then it was time for our weekly staff meeting.  We're in break out groups right now, so I was with my group to learn about close reading.  Meeting ended when the bell rang.  Got back to class in time to get settled for the kiddos coming.  Going, Going, Going all morning and then recess time, it's my duty day so out I go again with them.  lol  Luckily no one had an "Eat Lunch with the Teacher" prize card to turn in today so I did have lunch to myself to catch up on my e-mail and breathe and get ready for math.  Then before you know it they're back and it's math.  Cleaning up math, getting ready to go to music when my principal comes in.  He says, "Want a present?"  I reply, "Depends on the present."  He says, "A child."  I said, "Well I do have the lowest number with 22."  He said, "I was confirming that.  I'll get you all of the info for your student and get you a desk."  Then drop the kiddos off at music and low and behold we have toner, so sorry kids you get homework.  lol  Copy my homework packets and then have to put them together (because I differentiate them).  I also had not finished going through the take-home book bags that were returned this morning.  Then before you know it, it's time to go get the kids. Go to pick them up and of course my one friend who has only had 1 good week in music (last week) in all of the times we've had music, had a bad day.  I don't know what happened.  My assistant to one of my Autistic students was walking him.  Sadly this is a multiple occurance.  He's usually great for me, but he has a hard time when he's not in a normal structure routine.  Specials are hard for him.  He also has had a sad home life, although he's in a good situation now, but because of that he craves for attention in not good ways.  He will do things to other students and then when they tattle on him, he acts the victim and mopes and does the opposite of what you say to him.  I have learned when he starts moping to ignore him.  When he doesn't get the attention he wants, he ALWAYS starts doing the right thing and then I give him positive reinforcement for the good behavior.  It works every time, but I wish we didn't have to go through it every day and sometimes multiple times a day.  So he's in a funk for whatever happened in music.  We get back to the room and are sitting on the carpet together starting our review of the matter chapter (except for my moping friend who is standing in front of people because he knows he's supposed to be sitting and wants me to say something to him, luckily I've been trying to get the rest of the kids not to feed into his need for attention and no one has said anything) and my screamer girl (although she's only had the one incident so far this year) starts screaming.  I look at her and ask what happened to come to find out she had put her jacket on (she's always cold because she  wears a t-shirt to school every day, apparently she's stubborn about what she wears) and was playing with the zipper, zipping it all the way up (1. it's a winter parka.  It's been chilly, but not that chilly  2.  it's not freezing in our classroom.  There are times it can get cold in our building, but not today so there was no need to zip it all the way up), she got her neck/chin area caught in her zipper.  Now obviously that would be very painful.  My assistant rushes right over to help her and the screamer yells at her to stay away from her and keeps crying and screaming.  I ask her how she wants us to help her if she doesn't want anyone to touch her.  She says that it will hurt if someone touches it.  I reply that it's hurting her right now.  I again ask her how she wants us to help her.  She yells back she doesn't know, so my assistant goes to help again.  My screamer won't move her hands away.  I tell her that she couldn't decide what to do so we're deciding for her and she needs to move her hands.  My assistant gets her hands away and quickly fixes the problem and takes the screamer to the bathroom to wash up.  By this time, I'm frazzled and snap at my moping student to sit down, which he quickly does.  lol (I can laugh about it now, not then.)  We then continue on with matter and into writer's workshop.  My assistant comes back and I ask where the screamer is, if she took her to the office.  She said no, she took her to the bathroom and then left to go help other kids in other classes.  So she goes to check to see if the screamer is still in the bathroom and she is, sitting on the floor.  I ask if she's throwing a fit and she said no she's just sitting there, did I want her to bring her back in.  I told her no, leave her, she should come in when she's calm and ready.  The end of the day comes, we're packing up, and she has not returned.  I go to the bathroom to find her sitting on the floor with her back to me.  I ask her if she is going to pack up since it's time to leave.  No answer.  I ask her if she plans on staying in the bathroom no answer.  So we get the social worker to come take care of her while I get the rest of my class out the door.  Now also it's Tuesday so I have scrapbooking club after school and have to get all of that ready.  As I'm getting kids out the door, setting up for scrapbooking club while those kids come in, the custodians come bringing in the desk for the new student I'm getting tomorrow.  The social worker then comes to grab all of my screamer's things and to borrow my wheelie chair because my screamer has shut down and won't move so the social worker had to pick her up to move her to the office where her mother has been called and needs to come pick her up (she was supposed to walk).  After I get scrapbooking up and running I start getting everything ready for the new student so it's ready to go for tomorrow.  I also send out an e-mail to my parents about Halloween because I've had some questions.  Before I know it's time to clean up scrapbooking and get those kids out the door (which I have 3 3rd graders and 1 6th grader and they take FOREVER to clean up each week).  They all get picked up and I have to head back to my room, pack all of the scrapbooking stuff back in my closet for next week and then get ready for tomorrow.  I write my daily message, change the daily schedule, get stuff ready for my final parent-teacher conference I have tomorrow, and get the 1 minute math timed test ready.  I don't leave school until after 5:30PM and I'm wiped out again!  All of that feeling great and energized from the 4-day weekend is gone and I feel like I'm treading water again.  Not to mention it's negotiation time again and although I couldn't go to the meeting because of scrapbooking I hear some of the things that are going on with it and that zaps more energy.
So tomorrow I have a conference before school, a new student starting (please let the child be an angel) (I plan on having my moping friend be the new student's buddy for the day to again give positive reinforcement), a full Daily 5 time with 2 classes getting used to the routine, and we're supposed to be starting math groups although one of my teammates JUST e-mailed to say that she forgot that she has library right smack in the middle of our math time so what did we want to do about that.  lol  Should be another interesting day.  Here's hoping the conference goes well, my new student is wonderful, the students do better at Daily 5 then they did today, we figure out what we're doing for math, and I can catch my breath with no drama from the moper and the screamer.  I'm optimistic.  :)  Days like today don't happen all of the time.  Another bright side?  The crazy day made me want to come on here and share it with you.  Therapeutic.  Have a great day yourself!!!!  :)