My morning went fairly well, other than the predicament that I run into every time I teach the coil yarn basket project to my eighth graders- a need to temporarily clone myself. Thank God most of them understand that I can't help them all at once.
My afternoon on the other hand totally made me want to hide behind my desk, curl up and bawl...... Studio art left me drained and ready to scream. It's funny how one student in a funk can set the whole crew off and cause a nuclear melt down. Add clay into that mix and not enough room for bodies and there you have it.
-Caution-Vent below- (do not read if you can't stand when people vent)
Dear student;
I understand bad days. I understand that nothing is ever your fault and your classmates are totally uncaring, but when I ask you, your classmates ask you and then I ask you again to stop slamming the rolling pin into your clay and roll it like a civilized person- you should take the hint. Screaming at the top of your lungs is something that I expect an overtired kinder to do, not an eighth grader. On top of that, you somehow managed to dump about two CUPS of my precious liquid blue water color paint that was siting on the back of the art sink. And then you were going to leave it....Nice...... I am so glad that after I told you that you needed to clean it up, that you actually did so.....No problem- I will clean up the blue splatters on the wall....That's why I make the big bucks; to clean up after you.
Tomorrow is another day. I hope that you wake up in a better frame of mind, or we may need to have a private talk.
Yours truely,
Your harried art teacher.
I may go home and down a pint of B&J.........Thank God for end of the day preps and Advil.
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| Here's my silly pooch. It made me smile. |
Aaawww - we've all had those days for sure. Mine was like that yesterday, but today - the opposite. So there's hope. Today, 2nd graders were all totally enthralled painting with tons of blue paint and giant brushes, 4th graders in heaven coiling clay, and all being happy being messy, and at the end of the day the tables were scrubbed, the hands clean with a blue haze, the coil pots beautiful, and fresh air poured through the open window. Hope you have a sunshiny weekend and a renewed spirit. Remember that grouchy 8th graders will some day become human again! (speaking as a veteran high school/middle school art teacher of many years prior to teaching elementary).
ReplyDeletePhyl,
ReplyDeleteWhat I didn't post was what happened at the end of my day. -Remember- I taught kindergarten general ed for two years before my current art gig.-
Well, I got my kinders back for art class & they only see me once -for about 35 minutes- every six days. So I'm like a treat to them. One of my favorite teachers (2nd grade) has a daughter in k. I was leaving the building- exhausted as only days like this can make you- and I heard her running down the ramp before I even heard the "MIIIISSSSS DAAAAVVVIIISSS". She came flying up behind me and latched on. I love kindergarten hugs....
We chatted as she walked out with her older brother and I left with a little smile on my face. Thank God for the little things....literally.