I was nervous for a reason, because today brought "it."

I was at work at 6:45am. I'm not a fan of arriving at work when it's still dark. I get quite a bit done, but not nearly enough. Grades have to be inputted today and I'm not done grading everything. Students arrive as usual, but morning work is different. Due to a famous visitor coming on Tuesday, we have a presentation to prepare for and our class needs a star prop. So we're cutting out stars, outlining them with glue and then sprinkling glitter. Everyone must be finished in five minutes, because that is all the time we have. Then they grab a book, 2 #2 pencils and head down the hall to take a standardized test that determines how much English they have learned this year. Another class of students comes in my room to take a similar test. 2 hours later, after many requests to go to the bathroom, the whole group is finished and we switch back.

The entire grade level jets outside to the hardtop to practice the presentation for the famous visitor. 15 mintues later, we're back in our homerooms. Students write in their agendas and go to the bathroom (not usual for this time of day and students do NOT react well to "not usual.")

We switch classes. I have my partner teacher's homeroom now. She got a new student today. We began a project just before Spring Break. Two students were absent because they were "sick." I went over the entire project with the three students, explaining it in detail and answering all questions. Not a complete reteach of the lesson I did for the whole class though, because there just wasn't time. A lesson to all parents: it really does make a difference when a child is absent (and when you move in the middle of the year!) While I'm doing this mini-lesson, an unknown student bent in the paper mache hot air balloon model a student had completed last year for their project. No one admits to doing it. I go off on the class for respecting property and taking ownership of actions.

It is lunch time. I go out with two co-workers because I am going to lose my sanity. We are late getting back.

Finish teaching and switch back. So now I have my homeroom again. We cut out the now dried stars and tape them to a ruler. Our prop is complete. Graded papers are supposed to go home today. Along with averages. This is the "Wednesday folder," but I am behind in grading, it is the end of the grading period and whatever the parents see on the Average sheet is what they will see on the report card that comes home next week. But I'm not finished grading. Students go to ancillary and I rush to finish grading because I'm not done with my teaching partner's class either. I get hers finished but not mine. Class comes back and we're hurrying to file graded papers, get flyers in the "Wednesday folder" and get averages on sheet to go in folder. They call for 4th grade to dismiss. Finally I say "Tell your parents it will come home tomorrow. We're already late and you need to go home." That hasn't happened in 5 years of teaching.

A student stayed after school to play games with me because he is Student of the Week and that is what we do on Wednesdays. He was absent Monday though. While he had time to get his parents to sign the permission slip last night, he didn't have time to get a friend's parent to sign it...so he stayed after by himself. Not a good situation for a teacher to be in. Another teacher joined us to play Sorry and we had lots of fun...that problem solved.

I finish grading. Teaching partner and I input grades into computer system that is slow from all other district procrastinators.

I have a headache. I'm ready to cry and hit something. The day isn't over yet.

:(