Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Last Day of School

I got up early this morning to write a poem for my girls. I wrote two lines about every student and was just finished when my co came over to finish report cards.
Rushing to school, we began doing the rating cards for the girls. We rushed through them and didn't fill in the comments for anyone.
When the bell rang, we both walked into class, and started the last day of school. I collected books and read my poem. Later, I made copies of the poem for each girl. I went up and down the rows to ask about their plans for summer. I also gave the girls time to come up and take pictures of me if they wanted.
I gave the girls my address and I asked them to forgive me if I may have done anything to hurt them over the year.
At two o'clock my co and I switched classes.
After recess, The classes joined and they gave my co and I both picture frames with a class picture in it. We were very touched, and the girls all lined up again to take pictures.
The principal came in and asked us teachers to go out while she viewed a short model lesson. I had no problem with that.
We gave out report cards after, and then my day went down the drain.
C.S.A. had a heart attack when I gave her an NI in "positive attitude."
T.K. cried about some averages, and now I have to recheck them and call her back.
R.H. was angry with some checks and I changed them all to get her off my case. Her comment reflected all that anyway.
C.O. was upset too, but her marks were all deserved.
G.S. had a mark on her report card she didn't deserve. I had to change that.
L.K. was livid about her checks. She demanded I change them all.
Everyone was upset about something or other.
As I sent the girls down to the closing assembly, R.S. began screaming, "I hate you! You want me to write to you, I'll write to you and tell you what an idiot you are! You lowered my marks!"
I was so hurt by that attitude. I know I shouldn't take it personally as R.S. isn't mentally stable, but it still hurts.
At the closing assembly, L.K. cried about her marks and I told her that there were two that I could possibly change. She refused to take that. It was either all or nothing.
I told her she had until the end of the day to make her decision.
After the assembly I asked her what she had decided. She ignored me.
I went around to her face, and told her, "I think I deserve an answer."
She didn't say anything. I continued, "Don't make me change my impression of you on the last day of school."
She sneered, "I don't care what you think of me."
I answered, "I know what you think of me, but I still don't think you want me to have a different opinion of you."
Again, she didn't answer.
I told her, "Care or not, it's still a matter of derech eretz, a teacher asks you something; you answer."
She made a face and said, "Well obviously my answer was 'no'."
"Your decision." I replied as I went upstairs.
L.K. is just like R.S. also majorly unstable. Looking through past posts on my blog, she has a history of anger in her behavior. I know I shouldn't take this personally, but I am.
In the teacher's room, the secretary yelled at me because I hadn't done the comments on my rating cards, and I hadn't done the whole satisfactory section either. She lost my end of year folder and because of that I didn't do my honor cards for my students.
She said I wouldn't get paid until I got it all done. I am so peeved.
If I would've gotten my rating sheets back on time I would've had the time to do it all properly. I walked out of the building determined to forget it all, and not to do it.
But school was following me home.
The secretary called me at home to tell me she had found my folder and that I needed to come into school tomorrow to finish it all up. My co is out of the question because her engagement is tomorrow, so it's all up to me.
Problem is, I'm going to the mall with my sister tomorrow to celebrate my first day of freedom. I can't go back in. I don't know what I'm going to do.
I'm home now, the last day of school, and I'm not as relieved as I expected to be.
I feel burned out, and depressed. The behavior of my students and everyone else today have left me with the feeling that all the work I've put in over the past ten months has been flushed down the toilet.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW,YOU DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT AN AMAZING YEAR, WHAT AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER!!!!!!!!!!
YOU SURE DID KEEP ME BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!THANKS
WISHING YOU MUCH CONTINUOUS LUCK!!!!!!
M.R.

Proud Tante said...

My husband will be so excited that I can get back to my housework again ;). Or is there another year here?