On Tuesday, my work day was pretty good. The kids did what they were supposed to do, and I left to pick up Charley with a smile on my face. Then I checked my voicemail...There was a message from Charley's school informing me that she had head lice. LICE! Gross!!! I immediately pulled into the closest Target, and got a lice kit, so I could disinfect my house, AND my child. I've never had to deal with lice in my lifetime, so it was a new experience for me. Honestly, at school they only saw one bug (EEEWWWW), and that's all I saw too, as I combed through her hair for hours. After washing everything in my house, and disinfecting for several hours after Charley fell asleep, I finally felt like I could relax. Although, I've been compulsively looking through her hair, ever since!
Wednesday started off on kind of an unexpectedly great note. As a teacher, I have 3 observations every year, by two separate supervisors. My principal is responsible for two observations, and the director of special education for the school district is responsible for the third. I had the SpEd Director's observation scheduled for 1:00. I had all of my paperwork together, thorough lesson plans, and student data. I was very prepared. Imagine my surprise when she walked in the door at 9:30, to observe my group. I was caught totally off-guard! It's not that I wasn't prepared for that time... I knew exactly what I was going to teach. But I didn't have all of the paperwork printed and prepared for her. I just told her that I'd thought she was scheduled for one, but she was welcome to watch me teach at any time. She was very friendly, and opted to stay to observe the 9:30 group. The Wednesday group had children with several different disabilities, who were at very different reading levels, but they were all working on reading comprehension. I did a read aloud, directed an activity, had to correct my students a few times (I'm the mean teacher who takes away pencils when a student continues to draw pictures, after I've asked him to stop), and before I knew it, the lesson was over. The kids had done a great job! It wasn't perfect, but I was pleased with the work they'd completed. They left the room, and she took a couple of minutes to debrief with me. I honestly had no idea what to expect, because my methods aren't necessarily typical. I let the kids work on the floor, instead of at a table, and I was actually down on the floor with them. I wasn't sure if she would've considered that to be 'professional,' enough. "That was a great lesson!" she said. "They were so engaged, and I think they were really getting the concept!" She gave me some more positive feedback, and I was SO relieved. I am confident in my teaching, but when I'm caught off-guard, sometimes I crack under pressure. When it came down to it, it was actually better that she showed up early, because my 1:00 lesson that was so well-prepared, was a total flop. The kids were having an off-day, and it could've been a terrible observation! Someone must've been looking down on me! Ha!
Thursday was a pretty typical day, and today was as well. The kids were pretty focused, and overall, they were good days. Today was especially fun, because it was Family Fun Night at the school. While that meant I had to do a significant amount of driving, to pick Charley up and drive her all the way back out to the school in Forest Lake, it was a great experience! I know it's probably sad that the excitement of my Friday night was Family Fun Night, but I really did have a great time. Charley got to play games and meet some of my students, which was really an interesting experience for me. It was so funny to watch my students interact with her! One of my students, a 6th grader, who always complains about how much his younger siblings drive him crazy, treated her like a princess! He picked her up, tickled her tummy, gave her candy, and kept his eye out for her, the entire night. We saw him as we were getting ready to leave, and he picked her up and gave her a hug. It was so sweet! She's been talking about him all night. For me, it was so nice to see a different side of this student, who always seems to want to put on a show, acting like a little tough guy. Another student saw her, and I asked if he thought he was good with kids. "Are you serious?" he asked me, "I have 7 sisters, and I fed them all. I am GREAT with kids." It totally made me laugh. I decided NOT to remind this particular student that his sisters were all OLDER than him, and likely they had fed HIM, not the other way around. Ha! I think the most interesting encounter was with the student who spends the most time in my room. He has become very connected to me, and I know that. He likes to have my full attention, during the day, and he regularly asks about Charley. However, when he saw me, he just tapped my arm, without saying a word. He had a shy smile on his face, when I said, "This is Charley!" He grinned, as though he was embarrassed, and ran to be with his friends. It made me wonder...was he jealous? Was it weird for him to meet the most important person in my life IN PERSON? Did it make me seem more like an actual person, not just a teacher? I don't know. But it was definitely not how I'd expected him to react. In any case, it was fun to see my students outside of school, and how DIFFERENT they are when they're not in class. It might seem crazy, but it was really a fun night for me.
Alright, time for me to get to bed. I'm doing the Polar Plunge tomorrow, and I'm preparing myself for hypothermic misery. I should probably be well-rested. Have a great weekend!
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