I am soooo tempted to take off today and recover from yesterday. I've had some bad days in teaching, and some rotten ones working for PrinciBitch, but never so much happening at once.

First, my principal came to my door looking for one of my students. Turned out the kid went home after school yesterday, got a knife, and came back and threatened some boys in the after-school program with it. So the principal took the boy and his backpack (knife-free, thank God) and talked to him, but less than an hour later he was back in my class (!!!). Later, the boy was telling me about how his father was dead (which I knew) because his step-father shot him because his real dad tried to kill his mother. AND his real dad tried to give his older brother (who I also taught) away when he was a baby. Can you imagine growing up knowing that? This kid is so angry.

THEN, I gave my kids a writing prompt to write about their favorite memory. While we're writing, one of my girls starts crying. Seems her dad left the family the night before and won't come back unless her mom quits acting the way she's acting. The night before Valentine's Day. A peach, huh? So I sent her to the counselor.

While she's at the counselor, another little boy, my angel, comes and tells me that his father beats him for every little thing. I was shocked. Stunned. Last year (remember, I have the same kids from last year) the father was at school every day to pick up his boys. I always admired him for being a single dad with two kids, and I couldn't believe the mother would go off and leave her boys but take her daughter. But apparently this kid stays with his grandma after school and tries to fall asleep at Grandma's so Dad won't take him home. So I sent him to the counselor and filled out the Child Protective Services report.

(At this point, I'm at overload. All the kids are already wired for V-Day, but now there's this need to share all their secrets.)

THEN I find a note with words you might find in an Ellora's Cave book. Now, I'm pretty sure I know who's doing it, another little angry girl. But I can't prove it because the note is wadded up and the writing is light. So Coach comes in (after I vent to my poor principal in the lounge while he's eating lunch) and helps me do handwriting analysis. Yes, it's that little girl, and another troubled little boy (oldest, only child from his father, living with a stepdad and 3 half-siblings, kind of Cinderella-ish). Sent them to the office. Already had referred angry young girl to counselor and talked to troubled boy's mom (apparently he uses the "p" word - I'm afraid to ask which one) about his language.

Then we had our party and I could barely eat my little pizza because the kids were pestering me.

I so want to take today off - I wonder how many days I have left.

Oh, and I want to have a contest on my blog this weekend - matching my heroes' personal ads with my heroines'. Prize will be a gift cer to BN.Com! So come by before Sunday night!

If you watch American Idol - and even if you don't - I thought this was GREAT!



Saw this on Kelly's blog.