a day in the life.

Being a 5th grade teacher has taken over my life. I have little time for anything else. I usually spend weekends at home with the cat and a page-long "to-do-before-Monday" list. Which is fine. Anyone that knows me knows how much I enjoy a good check list.

I regret the fact that my blog has become obsolete. Life is an adventure, and it is a story worth writing, even when the story isn't exactly what I thought it would be. For my sanity and the entertainment of my future children who may one day read my writings, I'm going to try to do better.

Here is a collection of notes from my day today:

1. I was showing one of my social studies classes a clip of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. He talks about the idea and the hope that people would one day judge a man "not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character." I love the way that is said. Watching this with my students this morning, I remember thinking that it is something we, as a nation, still need to work on. As a teacher, I need to instill this idea in my students as well. Things are infinitely better than they were, but there is still progress to be had.

2. Sometimes I feel like other staff treat me like a student because I am young. I believe I'm the youngest teacher on campus, and most of the students older than twelve are taller than me. Sometimes other staff members speak to me like I'm a student and have no idea what I'm doing. It's frustrating.

3. Today I had a class of students who would not get their behavior under control. The entire class period was a battle of me trying to get their behavior in check and get them focused on their work. At one point,  I looked over to the right side of the room and said, "Who's mom do I need to call right now?" A student immediately responded matter-of-factly, "My mom's dead." WHAT DO I SAY TO THAT?!

4. The one thought I have constantly as I try to navigate this new phase of life called "being a grown up," is simply, "people need Jesus."