There's Only So Much I Can Handle

I was pretty nervous last night about starting this whole new writing with the girls. They're to start writing picture books, and I wanted to introduce the lesson in an interesting way.
I started off the class by having the girls tell me what the qualities of a good picture book might be, and the girls really seemed to enjoy reminiscing about their favorite children's books.
After we had talked about what makes a children's book great, I had the girls sit on the floor as I read them a personal favorite of mine; The Jester Has Lost His Jingle by David Salzman.
The girls were thrilled with it.
After we had discussed that one, we looked through the book Look Alikes Jr. It's similar to an I Spy kind of book, where they find objects hidden in pictures.
They had a great time.
For homework, I had the girls go home and see if they had any good picture books at home that they'd like to bring in, and I also told them to begin thinking about a story they'd like to write.
I had to be a bit strict, and I said that a girl who came to class without an idea tomorrow would not be able to join the lesson. I have had girls take advantage of my being easy with homework before, and I have had to send some students out for not completing their homework.
If they wanted to continue taking part in the lesson tomorrow, they had to make sure they were following along.
I had a few attitude problems, but not anything I haven't seen before, namely, T.K, F.G, and a few others.
I was actually quite proud of the way my day went until I got home.
I just got a call from the principal.
She had gotten a call from an irate mother who's daughter had come home crying that she was pressured to have a plot for tomorrow.
The principal berated me for a half hour, blaming me for every problem she ever had in her life.
So it wasn't enough that I had stayed late in school yesterday, she now finds it important to call her teachers at home.
She said that I was irresponsible because I had forgotten to ask her for something that I had needed for my lesson.
I had not forgotten, they were not part of my lesson today.
She hated that I didn't come over to talk to her when my students were pressured to figure out what we could do about it.
-How should I know to come to her??? And more importantly, why would I want to?
"Whether you like it or not, you are going to have to work together with me to make this succeed."She said.
Somehow, she had turned me into a huge problem, I almost quit over the phone. It would be such a relief not to have to go back there. But, being a little bit of a logical thinker, I decided not to do it over the phone, I'll wait until school tomorrow.
Quitting over the phone wouldn't have worked anyway. She didn't' let me get a word in edgewise. She wouldn't have heard me if I said I quit.
She claimed that the seventh grade this year was having more problems than any other year, because I didn't know how to explain things to my students in a way that would excite them and make them understand.
I spaced out in the middle because I began typing to my husband over MSN messenger so that he could keep me calm, but at one point I had to open my mouth.
I began talking, but the principal didn't let me.
I refused to let her walk all over me.
I firmly said, "Please let me finish talking, I think you've said more than enough to this point." and she actually shut up for a minute so that I could finish me sentence.
I told her that she was not in my class today. I had done everything a good teacher should do and more. It was not my fault her writing projects were hard, it was not my fault that I had to be a little strict with my students today, and it certainly was not my fault that a student had taken my words out of context.
But she seemed to think otherwise.
At this point I realized that she had already made up her mind to be right, and that whatever I was going to say would not make nay difference. So I simply stayed quiet, and let her talk. (Which seemed to please her.)
She went on and on while I didn't make a sound. Sometime in the middle she thought I must've hung up, because she asked me if I was still there.
I made some sort of unintelligible noise which she took to mean, "Yes, I'm here, go on yelling. I don't mind at all."
So she did. She got confused that I wasn't answering back to her, but what she didn't know was that I had put the phone on mute and gave my lungs some exercise. I had a few good screams, and then I put the phone back on.
She was still talking.
She finally finished, and without even waiting for me to say anything, she abruptly hung up.
While I told my husband what had been going on, she called back to apologize for hanging up so abruptly. It was just that her car service was waiting outside.
She wants me to come talk to her during lunchtime so that we can go over some ways of making the girls feel less pressured.
Yay.
By the way, I got my paycheck today. $500.00.
It isn't fair that teachers don't get disability pay. How in the world will a paycheck like that pay for my psychologist?
Officially, I'm a teacher with heart, but sometimes I like to punch people too.