Monday, August 30, 2010

One of those days...

It is Monday. I've always had an aversion to Mondays. It is early in the school year. A perfect combination for a not-so-perfect day. Today was one of those days that happens once at most in a school year, if I'm lucky.

My copies for the first homework packet of the year did not get finished (originals lost somewhere in the shuffle I think) and though I could have sent home just today's recommended homework, I want the packet to be intact this week. I want the students and families to know what the routine will be.

Two of my planned lessons fell through this afternoon. Not because of my teaching methods, not because of assemblies or fire drills or lack of student engagement, but because of missing materials. The trade book I needed for our writing lesson is missing, and I discovered this minutes before the students returned from lunch. Yikes! Lesson scrapped, rewritten on the fly! That never feels quite right. Later in the afternoon I discovered that the curriculum guide for our social studies lesson (which contains today's copies) was sitting on a colleague's kitchen table. She had borrowed it for the weekend. Another lesson, recreated on a moment's notice.

I have a student teacher this year. Even though I finished the day frazzled - and of course trying my best not to let it affect the students' day - I like to hope it served as a lesson for her. Even after years of teaching, we can still have days like that. Even after hours of planning and crafting, sometimes the floor drops out.

Here's to a better tomorrow!