Tomorrow is Another Day

Yes, my friends... This is the kind of day that I had today. I think this glass explains it all, really.  Have you ever seen Kindergarten Cop?  (One of my favs!)  Remember the scene where Arnold was looking around, the room was chaos, and he was going to lose it?  Yeah... I felt exactly like that at one point this afternoon.  I had one kid refusing to to anything I asked, I had 5 kids randomly come up to ask to go to the bathroom; 6 more kids come up individually to tattle on another student, and the noise level was totally unacceptable.  It felt like I had lost control of the classroom (something that rarely ever happens), and I got totally overwhelmed for a minute.  It was one if those days where as a teacher, you doubt yourself. Things you were confident in before, now has you wondering, "Am I as good as I think I am?"  Now, don't get me wrong, I have my teaching weaknesses and some areas where I could improve, but I always felt that I have great, solid classroom management.  Until today... 

What else can I say other than, "At least I'm going back in the morning."  I think that's what makes teachers in general amazing people.  They can get so much stress piled on them, and have the crappiest of days, and yet we still come back ready to go and try something different in the morning.  We don't say "forget this", we try to fix it. In all my years of working as a teacher or an assistant, I've never had a class that broke me, and that's NOT going to happen now.  They got close today, but that's the closest they'll ever get again.  I know it might sound like a mind game to some people, and honestly, it is sometimes.  In the beginning of the school year, kids will want to see what they can and can't get away with.  They will test your sanity their limits, and push you as far as you can go.  They pushed me today, and I had a human moment where I had to take a few deep breaths.  I am human and I have very human emotions that I try hard to keep in check while in the classroom, but sometimes it's hard to keep them suppressed.  On this note, I'll leave you with one thing that made me smile this afternoon: 

During my self-imposed time out, one sweet girl came up to me and knew I was getting upset.  She said to me, "You know what I learned in my Sunday bible class, Mrs. Brumbaugh?  That it's not good to hold your anger inside.  If you do, it will make you explode, and I don't want to see you explode like a pumpkin.  That's why you should let your anger out."  She then hugged me and said, "I love you".  Such a sweetheart, and she had no idea how much better she made me feel.