blood, sweat, and tears

Sorry about yesterday's long entry.  Sometimes my fingers just don't stop typing.

Today has been a day.  Oh my. 

My older teen is taking a career exploration class this year as a freshman, and he told me that he didn't know what he wanted to be, but he knew he didn't want to be a teacher because it was BORING.  LOL!  Teaching is many things, but one thing it is NOT is boring!

It was my second day of seeing students, and all was going pretty well.  A few schedule glitches, but we're doing OK.  After that group left at 10:20, I started making my peanut butter sandwich because I have about 20 minutes before I have playground duty.  It's a little early to eat, but oh well. 

My assistant was also in the room with me and we were chatting as she rounded a corner to go to her desk.  As she walked, she caught her foot on the leg of a chair and tripped.  She tried to catch herself but stumbled.  Off balance, she fell against a desk that is against my desk and smashed her head into my desk.  It was not pretty.  Head wounds bleed a lot, and this was ugly and deep.  I grabbed the paper towels and had her sit down.  We put pressure on it.  

What do you do then?  She handed me her phone and I called her daughter.  Then what?  I thought of calling the front office, but they recently changed all the numbers of all the schools in the school system, and I don't know my own school's number.  Two of our other assistants knocked on my door at that time, so I asked them to stay, while I ran to the office.  Nothing happens fast in a school, though.  It is SO frustrating.  The nurse was there, but she was dealing with a diabetic child.  The clerk was there and helped me after she finished what she was doing.  I think everyone is so overwhelmed, that we must focus intently on the matter at hand and then move on to the next task, lest we just totally lose our minds. 

Long story short, her daughter showed up, and they went to a walk-in clinic.  She got six stitches, and then because she was very drowsy, he sent her to the hospital for a CT scan, which thankfully showed nothing.  She said she didn't think she would make it to work tomorrow.  She rarely misses, but I was pretty sure of that when she left today.  I am thankful no kids were in our class when this happened.

That was the blood.

Sweat - that was lunch duty.  Thought it wasn't as bad today as past days.  Or maybe I was just preoccupied with other things. Like head injuries and hearing that "thud".

Tears.  We found out who our newest new supervisor is today.  There were several "good" ones that we could have gotten, but we did not.   We got one that we had about 10 years or so ago.  She doesn't pester you much, but she is also of no help.  We called her "The Bumblebee" before.  It was apt; she just bumbled around with the occasional sting.

It was a day.

The good parts - Mass this morning, most of my students behaving like people, and an early dinner with some teacher friends. 

Give thanks always.

It occurred to me today that in the summer, the heat saps your strength.  You feel physically tired.  During school, the constant mental demands and due dates and deadlines and discipline issues and documentation wear you down.  And right now with summer and school, we are all physically and mentally exhausted.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!