Wonder

Kindergartners keep it real.
They will tell you when you have food on your face.
They will leap towards the floor to help a friend
retrieve runaway crayons.
And they will squeal with delighted fright at the
alligator picture on the oviparous animals board.

Kindergartners...

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Today, I choose to believe it, too.

When It All Falls Down

Have you ever felt as if your tower is about to fall?

photo source credit

I work in a district that shuffles teachers in October,

based on classroom numbers.

Of this, I was not aware upon hiring.  

Then I saw it happen to a friend last fall.

You can be settled and zooming right along,

only to discover that head office has 

decided your building has too many warm bodies,

but the classrooms aren't full.

So they reassign you to a school that ended up with
more students than projected,

where you discover that your classroom is a prior closet 

and there are no techie things or tables available.

I like my school, my room, my stuff.

I love my students.

Yesterday, we discovered that a fourth kindergarten room
is being added for next year.

At first, I jumped for joy because it meant that
our principal is trying to lower our class sizes.

(At one point, all three K rooms had 25 students;
the limit is 30 before an aide is requested)

But it didn't take long for me to realize that
I'm the one in the reassign spot for next year.

I also know that, based on our numbers in October, 

we wouldn't have merited a fourth teacher
--by Christmas, yes!--

 I need to wrap my head around the possibility
that I will be moved, after the year has begun.  

As it stands now, I have a 45-minute commute each way; 

if I'm moved to a school on the other side of the city,
I'm looking at 90 minutes in the car, twice a day.

When you add the almost certain fact that a refigured class 

is assembled in a less than fair way,
the picture looks even less appealing.

Has this happened to you?

Do you work in a district that uses this model?

How can I see the glass as half-full in this type of challenge?  I want to….

That tricky bronchitis virus turned into a form of
pneumonia and I'm back in bed for the weekend,
after being in class on W, Th, F.  

I intended to work on lesson plans, but found myself here,

pouring out my heart to anyone willing to read this post. 

Right now, I don't see the positive spin on a possible reassignment.

But I know the truth is still true.  

 I leave you with this gorgeous slideshow and the words of Chris August….

April Currently and More

I've taken an unplanned blogging break.  

More about that in a minute, because first----

(Hop over to Farley's and link up!)

I'm sick!

This is the first sick day I've taken all year.

I knew the cough was turning into something yuck,

but kept hoping NyQuil would conquer all.

The kindergarten team sent updates throughout the day

and it took a village 

to manage the 25 little darlings in my room.

Can I get props for doing it every day, by myself?! 

Applause to our building subs for allowing me

to rest another day.

Which explains the venti mocha latte.

On any given day, my commute to work 

is at least a 45-minute drive.

We should clock in by 8:45 and can leave at 4:17, 

but dismissal is at 4:07; I can't figure out how 

other teachers manage to clock out on time!

There have been many afternoons when I'm still 

waiting for a parent to pick up a child at 4:45...

...'nuff said about that.

Over Spring Break, my family visited New York City!

Just before the break, the kindergartners were 

learning to identify national symbols.

This task is on our report card, so I sat with each child, 

checking for understanding with picture cards.

When I showed the Statue Of Liberty to one lil guy, 

he replied, "That's Jesus!".

(Yes, Jesus gets mentioned in the urban public school!)

Hhmm. Reteaching was now on the agenda.

My souvenir for each child was this photo:

The unplanned blogging break was a surprise to me.

A few things have intersected 

and left a void in my blogging habits.

Twitter. A demanding job. A hesitation to speak my mind.

A lack of allowed photographic evidence.  

Did I say a demanding job?!

It's good to be back.  I hope you think so, too!