"It's because teachers don't get paid enough..."

It was Friday, a mere hour and half before the dismissal bell would be sounding, signaling the end of what had proved to be one of the longest weeks thus far and what would hopefully be the beginning of a relaxing and fun weekend. My patience had worn thin over the previous 4 days as well as the hours that had led up to this point.  My frustration was no longer hidden.  The students FINALLY seemed to catch on that Ms. Phillips was no longer joking.  One observative student, comparatively, that is, paused for a moment.  "I think I know why Ms. Phillips is so mad," he said as if having had a revelation, "...it's because teachers don't get paid enough."   ...Who knew that students could read minds?! 

Though last week was full of ups and downs; I must say, experiencing my first car accident on top of everything else was less than pleasant.  However, in retrospect, it could have been much worse.  I figure, if I managed to somehow maintain an ounce of sanity after last week...I can do this whole teaching thing!  I kept repeating this mantra as I hit snooze for the 5th time this morning(sadly, no exaggeration here). 

Today, after a long, cold day of dealing with students and parents, e-mails, phone calls, crises of all makes and models, I wasn't so confident in my choice of careers.  I wanted to run home to my bed and wake up to a sea of solutions rather than an array of problems.  Then I remembered, this is the real world and I am an adult now...that's a shame!  Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing I remembered.  As it turns out, I have a 1/2 day training tomorrow, which meant I needed to put together sub plans.  At this point it was 5 o'clock.  6pm rolled around and not only was the parking lot was empty but the cleaning man nearly ran me out of my classroom.  I packed up and relocated to COSI, where I could keep working and eat quickly, refueling before the band concert I had promised to attend. Thankfully, the concert was a high point of the day, as I watched 2 of my students, one of which had a solo.  They were in their element, and thankfully, I was able to see them in a different light, as they shined brightly on stage!

Big week...SmartBoard is being installed...pray that all goes well and mission is finally accomplished!  Together, my students and I will welcome the Mod. into the 21st century...it's about time!

Peace,
Ms. Phillips