My not nice week so far

Goal of the week: I've just been informed that the RIF that just went through my district did not apply to the science teachers. I may just have lucked out and may have gainful employment next year after all. Of course, until I know for certain... I still have a mild ulcer.

Thought of the day: My not nice week so far...

I was thinking about my week yesterday during my commute home. During my commute, which is 25 minutes going into the city at night and out of the city in the morning, I get to start at the lines of traffic that are stuck in the other lane. I usually feel sorry for them. Then I remember back to my previous life as a scientist and how much I hated my drive into work and the traffic. I've always associated traffic with pure, unadulterated evil. In this case, it started my mind thinking about my week teaching and how it's gotten incredibly off track.

Monday, I walked in without anything done. I got called away to an emergency funeral this weekend. I had intended to spend Friday evening through Sunday working on lesson planning and projects for my masters program. I had set aside the time to do so because I really needed to get it done, but you know life always has better ideas.

Instead, I had to leave early on Friday afternoon after school. I didn't have time to grade the kid's work or change the board to Monday's date and Monday's Do Now. I was so out of sorts when I arrived Monday morning. It set my entire week of on the wrong foot. It was like waking up to screaming and fire... no fun. Worse than that, I didn't have time to plan my lessons any more than "I really wanted to do this this week..."

Tuesday was 4/20, otherwise known as the international day of smoking marijuana. I thought to myself, as I changed the date on the board the night before, "hey... I think a few of my students will come in giggly and late that day." Instead, MASSIVE numbers of my students were missing. I'm talking INSANE numbers of truant students. I was not happy.

Then, the next day the school decided to *randomly* search the entire student body before school. So, everyone was marched into the cafeteria and the students were lined up and searched. Yeah. All of them. All 800. My first through 4th periods were all screwed up and missing all but 3 students. Talk about a messed up day.

The lessons that I had planed for Tuesday had to be pushed back to Wednesday for the later classes to catch everyone up. People were confused and angry. Really angry. Students that had anything on them that was officially not supposed to be in the school (sodas, cell phones, gum, candy, cigarettes, lighters, whatever) were taken and thrown out. This was despite the fact that the students have been allowed to have these things *all year.* I see teachers not calling students out all the time on contraband and breaking the dress code. I've only started enforcing the dress code since after spring break. It's been one of the things I've been working on. At any rate, the kids are angry. I can't blame them because it isn't consistent.

Today, I finally started moving on the get them back to where they were supposed to be for this week but the first 3 days have thrown me completely off. To add insult to injury, I lost all of my juniors today for 3 periods and tomorrow is senior skip day.

All I need now is a field trip and life will be perfect.

Did I mention that I usually get an email the morning of telling me that 1/3 of my classes will be gone of a field trip for that day? Isn't that nice...