Viola Swamp Rules

Whew! The past two weeks have been a wild ride. The first week of class I walked in with my Viola Swamp mask on and sent a total of twelve kids to the principal's office for talking. I felt horrible! I hate being such a meany, but that's what the principal wanted and she's a much better meany than I am. After I sent the second group, I was called into her office I suppose so that I could participate in the disciplining. After a few moments with her, one kid was crying so hard he had the hiccups. During such moments I really wondered if I was meant to discipline seventh and eighth graders. But my skin has been toughening up these days and nothing makes it tougher than a bunch of chatterboxes like the ones I have. And of course both the principal and I are strict because otherwise they'd never learn anything in class, so as difficult as it is for me, I know that strict rules and consistent consequences are the only way to get their attention. They've come a long way from the way they acted the first day I had them and I owe my success in large part to the principal for supporting me.

After that first week the disciplining has gradually improved, but my own sanity comes and goes. Last Tuesday I had a total breakdown. I couldn't imagine how I ever thought that I could actually teach a class that I'd never taught before. Let's just say that I'm overwhelmed by the responsibility of it all. Lucky for me, I'm married to a guy who has an amazing ability to calm me. And the fact that he graded several spelling tests also helped immensely.

It's Tuesday and once again the pile of papers to grade and the lack of lesson plans are almost enough to send me into hysterics once more, but I just keep reminding myself that I only need to do my best. And doing my best doesn't mean changing the world; it just means showing up with some sort of lesson plan. At least I keep telling myself that.