I wish I could scream and cry the way my students do when they are not happy to be at school.

This week SUCKED!!! I mentioned I had 2 IEPs and an observation from my Frequent Flyer Parent. I think I neglected to mention previously that one of those IEPs was with my Frequent Flyer Parent.

Generation Y is now having babies. The generation raised entitled and feeling like the world owes them everything! My Frequent Flyer Parent is one of the most “I’m Entitled and so is My Kid” people I have ever met. He wasn’t getting his way when started demanding the moon and more, so he hired himself a lawyer. Now every IEP meeting includes lawyers, among the many specialists that work to support his child.

Meetings including lawyers are never comfortable. They end up being pissing matches because the lawyers have no education background (no matter how much they puff up like peacocks and share how many students they have represented) and have never taught in a classroom. The attorneys involved in my IEP have never even met my student. This is especially frustrating because the attorney for my Frequent Flyer Parent makes these over-the-top recommendations that are so out of line, and he would know that if he met this child! Oh, and he’s never taught so he has no frame of reference other than what he’s Googled for knowing how reasonable or plausible the recommendations are. But of course the attorney recommends it, so my Frequent Flyer Parent wants it. Myself and the team of specialist spend the entire meeting being interrogated about why this won’t work instead of focusing on reality.

And of course, even when we dedicate an entire day to the meeting, we can’t finish in just one day! So of course, this pleasurable (seriously, still no sarcasm font) will be continued to a later date.

YAY! Can’t wait.

I think I should send my wine bill to his attorney!!

Up before the sun today! I may have no regrets leaving early on Halloween, it being my favorite holiday, but I still had an observation from my Frequent Flyer Parent, 2 IEP meetings to prep for, and a new month’s worth of curriculum to roll out.

Today was a rough day. Many people assume that Halloween is the toughest day to teach, but it is most definitely the day after. I wish we could make this day a school holiday, and if I wasn’t so busy torn between two classrooms, I would love to call in sick.

Today was the loudest day I have had in my classroom to date. I don’t think anyone came to school happy, and they all wanted us to know their displeasure. My ears actually hurt today from all the screaming. Ironic since today was vision and hearing screening day.

I thought myself so smart to plan a low-demand day for my kiddos. I planned activities that should have been on the easier side, a messy art craft, nothing new and unusual, but nothing I planned today went smoothly.

That’s just how it goes some days. A long hot shower and a large glass of wine will help reset me. Hopefully a good night’s sleep will help reset me students.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Halloween!

Dressing up in themed costumes with my team, the parade, the trick-or-treating around campus, and day full of crafts!

Oh, and early dismissal so I can enjoy most of the day with my own kids!!

Now every year we are warned by HR that we are contractually obligated to work a full professional day even on early dismissal days, and even on Halloween. I rarely, if ever, work a “professional day” if by that they mean an 8 hour day. So I have no guilt or regrets when I chase the bus off campus on Halloween!

UGH!!! Staff Development Day, it started with so much promise. I was actually excited by the itinerary. I really should know better.

I am struggling with a way to explain my long, disappointing day without it just sounding like a disgruntled teacher whining, so I am going to highlight the positive.

I got to have lunch, with grown-ups.

I got to pee without being interrupted, twice.

The day is over and I am one day closer to Thanksgiving Break!

It’s Friday, and I have a fresh bottle of wine!

I SURVIVED IEP DAY!!

It’s Thursday, October 27th, and the only reason I am certain of the date today is because it is IEP day. Otherwise ALL the days are just blending together like one endless loop.

Some brainiac downtown, in a quiet office, with daily lunch breaks, and a well defined start and end time to their day, decided that it makes more sense to have one (maybe two if need be) designated days a month to hold all IEP meetings. And even smarter, this idea requires the team of school site specialists to get together before school even starts to schedule the entire’s year worth of IEP meetings. Nothing says “you’re a valuable, contributing member of the IEP team” like scheduling the meetings without first checking the availability of the teacher or the parents of the student. What is also not considered, is how many one teacher may have in that one day!

Writing IEPs is a TON OF WORK! First, I have never written one shorter than 43 pages. But it is not just the length of the IEP but the collaboration with the team and parents ahead of time, the assessing the student, the thought behind where the student’s current level of functioning is, where they need to progress, and how exactly to write goals to get them there. Writing IEPs is mentally taxing and the actual meetings can be, depending on the people involved, even more so!

I initially had 4 IEPs scheduled for today. I was the only teacher with meetings scheduled. That’s a HUGE issue with other people scheduling your meetings for you. Lucky, lucky me! So that has been what I have been ferociously working on this past week. It’s not like I also have students to teach as well, right?!?! Lesson plans to develop and prep for!?! I was blessed with a pardon, and 2 of the parents simply could not get out of work to attend their pre-scheduled IEP time, so I did get to reschedule those for next week. Which does help, because after the 2 I had today, as well as the 2 observations from my favorite Frequent Flyer Parent this week, I am so mentally exhausted I have never been more grateful for the already open bottle of wine!

Time to recharge…Staff Training Day tomorrow. UGH!