>Clues that my day wasn’t exactly stellar:

• Getting out of the driveway was a major challenge (even for me!) because of the sheer size of the snowbanks.
• I ran a yellow light rather than stop at the Longest Light in Town on the way to buy coffee from Jo to Go. Don’t tell the liaison officer from my school. She thinks I’m a law abiding teacher-citizen.
• I touched base with five different staff members en route to the lounge to put my lunch in the fridge. At that point, I realized I was no longer holding my coffee.
• The secretary (she was a bright point in my day!) made an all-call announcement that there was a cup from Jo to Go sitting behind her desk rapidly cooling. Mine!! My hazelnut!!
• My students came in this morning with a major chip on their collective shoulders, making my work much harder and forcing me to be much meaner. Contrary to popular belief, “mean” is not good teaching.
• Two computers in the lab were not turned off properly last night, leaving my youngsters to cope and wait. I can troubleshoot, but I can’t speed up the network. Fourth graders do not wait well.
• Cardboard keyboard covers kept falling apart. I’ve asked and asked for replacements, but I haven’t gotten an answer — not even a definite no. I ran out of tape for repairs in the lab, and I’m doggone tired of fixing them every. single. lesson.
• Four kids didn’t have their reading homework done, and that’s an improvement over yesterday’s seven. !!!
• Instead of bringing a concern to the boss as a team, each team member ended up going in separately, therefore making the issue seem much less important.
• Even though I needed to work at my desk over lunch, I needed the break more. I went to the lounge to vent a little and relax a lot.
• Several students had put the chips back on their shoulders when they came back from lunch (see above). Not good.
• I had to threaten detention to get one student to stop clowning around as he blew his nose. You don’t want the details: trust me.
• A meeting was announced that I wasn’t certain included me, so I turned up just in case. Yes, it included me, but I didn’t have paper and pencil to take notes, so I’m sure I appeared clueless.
• The coffee I bought at 6:45 and rescued from the school office at 7:30 was still 1/4 full and totally cold when the dismissal bell rang.
• I drank it anyway.