T.G.I.F.

Today was a bit of a disaster. It started out badly and only got worse.

Let me explain something...I start off my day with a fairly rigid routine. The alarm rings at 6am, I get up and get into the shower to be out by about 6:10. Then I get dressed, dry my hair and go downstairs for breakfast by 6:30. I eat breakfast, wash the dishes, brush my teeth, gather my things and am out the door by 6:50. This morning however, I woke up to the alarm and a sound in the hallway. "Scurry scurry scurry" and the bathroom door closing. The shower started. I freaked. If I wasn't in the shower on time I wouldn't be dressed on time, then I wouldn't eat on time, and I would catch the bus on time. Do you see where this is going? So I had to rearrange my schedule to do things all mixed up and backward. So frustrating. We are going to have to set out a schedule for the bathroom.

I got to school and everything seemed fine. I wasn't crazy about my subjects today, and not super comfortable with the lesson plans, but whatever. The morning went fairly well. At assembly I wasn't told that I needed to put a students name in the "good book" so I had to scramble during the ceremony to get it in. Then I had threatened some kids that if they didn't finish their work they were staying in at playtime, but I forgot that I was on duty, so some kids were sent in from the playground by the other teacher to get me. This afternoon the kids were just wild. They were shouting and wandering, and not listening, and not doing any work. It's frustrating to be a teacher in those moments. After lunch they are supposed to have 20 minutes of quiet time. I use it for silent reading. They use it for talking to their neighbour. They would not be quiet!!!

The final straw was last period when we had geography. They weren't interested in the topic, and when I asked them what they liked about Dagenham, one boy said "Nothing! It's boring!" They were supposed to fill out a sheet about everything they liked about it, and I had to specifically say that they weren't allowed to put that they thought it was boring!!! Then at the end of the day they wouldn't stop talking, so we were late getting out and the parents were mad because they were late. I felt like saying "fine, then you come inside and get your own kids to shut up!!" Of course I can't say that...

And I must have had one little girl ask me every ten minutes when I was going to talk to the deputy head about the girl who was bullying her. How many times do I have to tell her that the deputy head is not in the school, and I will talk to her as soon as possible??? I've learned that children only hear what they want to hear. Even if I say something five times, they don't hear it.

I am tired now. It's been a stressful day, and a long week. I think I am going home.

Love you all.