Over 200 papers to grade.

Before the weekend even begins, there will have been about 200 papers that either had been graded or will need grading by Monday. The thought is a bit exhausting. Thankfully, I have wonderful "You better not stress, Chelsea" supporters, and they have selflessly donated their time to help me. (Thank you, Miss EB, Mr. R, and Mrs. MS, for your time and love through Crayola markers and grading scales!)

It all started when we were told we couldn't give O's to students on their report cards even though our online gradebook program says otherwise. We presented our case about why we should, and so Mrs. F said, "Well, why aren't your gradebooks consistent with each other?"

So in attempt to plead and strengthen our case, we need to have everything tick-tock and updated by (was) Friday (now Tuesday). If this is what we need to do to be able to give our kids deserved O's, I don't mind. I've just been overcome with fatigue all week. I was at school for 11 hours today... I didn't leave until 8pm. Oof.

I write now because 1) to help me unwind and 2) I'll be in Richmond this weekend, visiting C.

We had a meeting with Mrs. F today as well. It ended on a positive note (with a few confidence-building compliments... why I got higher-leveled kids because I'm really creative to make it work... yay, but yikes! Pressure!). I told her about Psycho Parent Episode #7 that happened this morning. She got really defensive and was like, "I'm going to give her a call. It won't happen again." It felt nice to be defended like that because Psycho Parent definitely crossed the line.

Now let's fade to PP Episode #7...

Ten minutes before it was time to officially start the day, Psycho Parent came storming into the room, uninvited and unprepared. With her glittering politically-biased pin on her lapel, she meant business. Business that I did not have time or patience for. She demanded to know why her son frequently does not come home prepared to do his homework. He never had his work or his folder. I explained to her that I personally hand each student their homework folders every afternoon, but what happens in transit to home is not my responsibility. Well, she then went onto say that it needed to stop and something needed to be done. She stormed over to W's desk and started ranting about how untidy it was and "how often do they get to clean out their desks?!"

She whirled over to the mailboxes and started criticizing my organization, that *obviously* this was the problem. She was left speechless after her own son put his folder in the CORRECT mailbox. (Insert rubber brick to the head here.) At this time, the other children were chaotic because of this mother. I tried to push her along and said she needed to leave. She handed me a letter to be "at my leisure."

Ms. R came in by that point and was on a mission to get rid of the parent since it's one of her hot buttons. It bubbled down to my going to find Mrs. E to come down to exterminate her presence in my classroom.

When I returned, I tried to be as firm as possible with "I need to start the day. Now." She finally left. However, unfortunately, she left annoyance and frazzled structure.

To make sense of why she was walking around with the principal yesterday, this confirms why. From what Mrs. F insinuated, Psycho Parent has questioned my teaching abilities. Clearly, the principal threw it back in her face when she gave her a walk-through and showed her we are teaching, not just hanging out with seven year olds. :P

The moral of the story: I will not invite her again to sort the students' Saddlebags, and I need to be more blunt about her son's bad behavior. That's the main cause of his grades/etc.

To end on an amusing note...
This was a response I read on one of our reading quizzes. Always an interesting time.

The story was about a girl making a paper airplane.

The question was: "Retell the story using the words first, next, and last."

KH's response was: "listen to me waeds do you waet to listen to me yes yes yes !?"
[Translation: "Listen to me, words. Do you want to listen to me? Yes yes yes !?"

-- Miss Chelsea :)