When I decided to teach at Farnsworth Elementary in West Valley, Utah, Ian tried to give me fair warning of the dynamics out in that area of the valley. Being from small town Idaho Falls, everything just seemed really big and all the same to me. Even for a few months in to the school year wherever I went I felt like it was all just big city....
Little did I know what I was getting myself into! I have 26 students in my classroom and only 4 of them are white. It has been an eye opening and life changing experience for me. There have been days I went home sobbing, knowing I couldn't ever have a harder group of kids! And come to find out...our grade level really does have some of the hardest kids to ever come through this school!
But for some reason, the cap that was slightly sealed popped off yesterday in the third grade and all hell broke loose! It was a day where you could laugh or you could cry, and I'm thankful all day I couldn't help but laugh. Here is a glimpse in to life as a teacher at a truly low income school!
My furnace broke in my room yesterday, leaving all 27 of us huddled in our coats on the rug, well most of us in coats, several students don't have coats to wear. Luckily there was another empty classroom available. So mid morning we grabbed our books and headed to this empty classroom, and the chaos began. Victor (names have been changed) was hiding under the table playing with his trash pack toys. Jesus and Angel are in the back whispering dirty words to each other in spanish, Brittney is humming a Just Bieber song at her desk, and I am at the front trying to teach a simple writing lesson. All morning I just couldn't wait until 11:45 when we had a slight break to normal for our library time.
I marched my students down to the library and sat at the back grading my papers, when before I knew it I heard one student scream bloody murder! What else could happen now?! 26 pairs of eyes turned on me pointing at Timmy...yes TImmy...my daily, every second, every minute, every hour, behavior student...had stuck a paper clip in to the socket, Causing even the librarians eyes to bulge because the spark was so big!
So what do I do...I march little Timmy straight to the office (which in Mrs. F's class that's a big deal because I never send kids to the office) and who would be there but a police officer. She had been there early for a student (another third grader) who escaped from the playground while in trouble from his teacher. I waved goodbye to Timmy at the office and watched as the policeman escorted him in to the Principal's office. And, as I walked away I couldn't help but laugh.
Funny enough, it doesn't quite end there. While leaving the office, the social worker ran in to tell the principal that another third grade student exposed himself to his whole class at recess. It took one look between my Principal and I to just burst in to laughter. Really...who knew...at once school so much chaos could occur in one day!
I am grateful, that on days when you can laugh or you can cry, I chose to laugh yesterday...and in fact, I'm pretty sure every time I see that electric socket in the library I don't think I'll be able to hold back my laughter!
I am a teacher, it's what I do, it's who I am, and I'm grateful there's always the stress reliever known as laughing to help me along the way!
1 comment:
Oh man! I am laughing just reading this. I don't know how you do it!
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