Day 2 the Second Time

Last week, I wrote about how my class size was small (18 students) and that I feared the fourth grade classes at my school would be reorganized. It happened Friday.

My original students were dispersed, tears were shed (theirs and mine), I was given another teacher's roster, and that teacher was displaced.

So, yesterday was like the first day of school all over again, and today was like the second. I feel horribly behind. This is amplified by the fact that our "specials" started this week. For example, yesterday I was supposed to have music (they have a singing class 30 minutes per week for one semester by a young guy with a guitar, but he was out sick) and art (9 weeks, 50 minutes weekly).and today my students had science lab. I've had very little time with my students, and what time I have had has been teaching procedures, my classroom management plan (which hinges on a daily class meeting prior to dismissal), and diagnostics in writing and math.

In addition, I gained a particularly challenging student who - after hugging me hello this morning - bit a child, tackled a second child and scratched the child's glasses, used his phone during class while lying to me about it, grabbed a child by the hair and pushed him into a tether-ball pole, and called a very sweet girl ugly. I'm a little bit tired.

Please help me be kind to this child. Please help this child be kind to others.