So day 41 on was a no student day. Felt more like in school suspension, but technically it was called “Professional Development” day. Yep, 7 hours later and boy to I feel better prepared to teach on Monday and more developed (professionally)….NOT!!!!!

This PD was like almost all the ones before it. The gen ed grade level teams have their well planned training complete with guest speakers and full color handouts, and the SDC teachers get shoved in the tiny conference room to re-hash the same things we always re-hash. There really isn’t an interesting story there.

In fact I really haven’t had any interesting stories to share. I am on a Ferris Wheel this year, dealing with the same round of issues constantly at a dizzying speed.

I do have a 2 new parents contending for the top position of My Favorite Parent. I lost my MFF last year when his child graduated from my class and I thought I might be rewarded with at least one year off from cray-cray parents BUT less than a quarter of the way into this new year, I have 2 parents neck and neck in the race. Let’s hope that they don’t both win a spot! One parent wants to know why her child is having so many potty accidents at school when over the summer, when she took her child every 30 minutes, he didn’t have any. And parent #2 wants to know why, after being in school for 2 years, his son isn’t cured and ready for gen ed.

I also have new admin that has truly no appreciation for what the SDC teachers deal with on a daily basis, and asks border line insulting questions. “Can’t we hold the SDC students to the same standards as all the other kids on campus?” WTH??!! 41 days into the school year and I am still not getting prep periods during the school day and admin has no appreciation for how unreasonable that is, and how far behind I am getting. She can’t seem to process that we do not get pretty little gift wrapped boxes of curriculum materials each month like the gen ed teachers get (ok, maybe they’re not gift wrapped boxes but they are delivered with no extra effort or thought required). I have to create and print my curriculum. I have to adapt, modify and differentiate each lesson for each one of my students. Then I have to prep it, cut it, laminate it. As well as assess, data track and create lessons that target their individual IEP goals. It seems to be a shock, but all that takes time, that I am not getting while at school. I normally spend hours every night and on weekends working just to keep up, and that was when I got preps. This year without them I am drowning in work. OH, AND I have IEP’s to prep for.

Although this year it is the off-putting behaviors, whining and complaining from my para’s that is driving me drink. I can’t even wrap my brain around all their issues this year.

So today I am protesting! I am not prepping!! I am not adulting!!! I am spending the day goofing off. I may wake up regretting it in the morning, but I am will to risk my Monday morning hangover for binging on my mental health (and wine) today!

Cheers 🙂