With two inches of snow on our grass this morning, it's hard to believe that summer is just around the corner. The garden, which had just begun to come to life, was blanketed with heavy wet white stuff, and I found myself crossing my fingers that with the melt, we wouldn't find broken lilac bushes and early bloomers that won't bloom. After getting home from work and doing a quick assessment of the damage, it looks like we fared pretty well. It's supposed to be beautiful this weekend, so I'm hoping to get out and plant the perennials that I bought Husband for our anniversary. He is after all, my favorite gardening partner.
Today I had my first major run-in with a student. It was a middle-schooler who was running through the halls. When I asked her to stop running, she blew right past me in full stride, chasing another student. When she walked back my way, she refused to acknowledge me and as she passed me in the crowded hall, she shouldered me (which I think was probably unintentional). Calling her by name, I asked told her to turn around. I found myself using the horribly matronly-sounding "Young lady!" to get her to turn around (I cringed even as I said it). Turning around, she rolled her eyes and said, "WHAT!". We had a very brief exchange that left me feeling really sad. Sure, I guess I "won", but who cares? What bothers me is that a young girl thinks it's okay to blatantly ignore school rules, and to treat an adult with such utter disrespect. Fortunately for me, another teacher and the assistant principal witnessed it, and completely backed me up. As a result, the student is going to miss out on a really neat field trip. I found myself feeling really sad for her (but believe me, not one bit guilty), then had to remind myself that she made the choice. I mean really...most of us made it all the way through high school and college without ever having a run-in like that with an authority figure, right?
I am counting down the days until the end of the school year - 12 left, to be exact. Still, with my eye on the summer, I find that I have to keep focused on finding a job for next fall. I had another interview this past Monday, and I feel really good about it (of course, I felt really good about the last one and have never heard back). I have two more interviews tomorrow. It's a very humbling experience to lay yourself completely bare for people you don't even know and then run the risk of never even hearing back from them again. But, I will press on...I know the perfect job is out there for me somewhere. And as I do find it, I plan to focus all of my energy on my favorite thing...being MOM. The boys and I have big plans; plans that include the library, the pool, making snow cones, riding bikes, and staying in our jammies until past 7am. And maybe, just maybe, Gavin will decide to start sleeping through the night...
1 comment:
Discipline is the part that they can't really teach you in school, well, at least they can't teach you about all the emotion that goes with it, or the thousand variables that can happen either. It's totally on the job training, isn't it. But, just remember, you are not the problem, but part of the solution. That "young lady" (and you totally shouldn't feel awful about using that phrase. She probably needs more of it.) needs more boundries in her life than less, which of course you already know. But it is awful to feel the weight of it.
I remember one day feeling like I had ruined a girl's entire day. I stewed about it and worried about it, only to see her in class a few hours later. She was as lively and happy as ever. I don't think she spent half the time thinking about it that I did. That one made me laugh.
Best of luck on the job hunt! Don't forget how wonderful you are! And I'm counting the days until I can see you again. xoxo
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