When you are a public school teacher there are the home chores and the school ones. I did the dishes folks left, unloaded and loaded dishes, fed cats, unhooked twelve tablets I got donated and bring home to charge, tried to change litter, pack a lunch I forgot anyway, loaded water bottles in the fridge that will be gone when I get home, and just pulled myself out the door. Then I drove to work. I get to school by 7.
Today was a little different because one of my daughters is visiting. Also because one of my 5 year old students brought a cell phone. It was one of the first things ratted out this morning. She not only had it, it began incessantly ringing almost to the second I learned she had it. Long story short she took it to impress her friends. They weren't impressed enough to overwhelm her crying and super huge freak out when my aide took it to the office and they told her mom the phone was at school. My day went a bit south because this normally silent child was losing it. Her words-losing it. She and the bevy of girls I teach were in support mode for the next two hours as she begged to go home "sick. " she developed quite a few illnesses including bad foot. She was not sick. But that pretty much tanked the feeling tone. I just held firm on you do not need to go home right now. Making me the room meanie.
I actually think her mom was relieved she had it at school over the phone being stolen.
The day was filled with centers, lessons, incomplete thoughts, tasks like hauling the garden center outside- a bit of a haul for me. I had to cancel a lunch plan and went to help a very good K teacher I learn ideas from. I work there after my kids go home. I enjoy it. Energy I'm putting into helping one child in my room maybe is helping. No one got punched today.
And the backpack came back.
A backpack disappeared from a student in January. At our school nothing like that has happened. And my playyard and area for my kids is very protected so when it disappearred in January it was so strange. After snack at nine it was gone. In it was everything you'd ever want. It was a lovely canvass pack with stars all over the navy. It looked to me like a Carl Sagan pack if such a thing exists. It disappeared with a lunchbox that matched and a pouch and more including a Scholastic book order check. I've talked to her mom several times about it all because I was very worried about the check. I bought her the same pack in February I felt so bad about all this. And reordered her books with family writing a new check. One day in March the scholastic check appeared in the office so I could return it for the family to destroy. That was odd. It was found lose on the school grounds. We've had enough rain to totally destroy a check. Yet there it was found out In the elements. You can tell I've given this a lot of thought. The books came. And I began a complete school search for the pack telling everyone. Everyone.
But no backpack. But I held out hope.
Today my aide said she saw it on a lostband found rack in the upper grades. And yes, I'd checked that place weeks ago. So in came the lost pack looking exactly the same. Or stolen pack -all completely fine. Every single thing intact.
That made today interesting to me as I await the day I actually learn who had it. I believe We will learn the true story.
As I was in the office reporting on all of this, a call came in to me. Incredibly rare I get called. They hung up. I used the restroom and they phoned again. So I took the call. In the office which I never do.
The momma was crying. She's sorry her son isn't doing the homework. I send a few letter review pages and a work on your name page for the week. Her son knows his name and letters. Which is awesome. She said haltingly he doesn't know but she's fighting cancer.
Walking back to my room I was thinking about the hundreds of interactions, lessons, moments in this day. Ones in the moment, ones with ties to other days like that disappearing pack. When I gave it to my student today she yelled out-"finally I knew it would come back. "
I didn't. My faith in that was so low I bought another pack, which while identical, was NOT the same. Her father bought her the original and that pack for her was about all that is good in this life. My pack was more about a loss of innocence. The return of the original restored a true cheerfulness to my student I saw from a mile away.
And then I also sent home report cards.
School is a magical
Place. It has layers, mysteries, things complex. Today's journey was just a quick pause in seeing school as a wonderously interesting ripple across the surface.
A strange thing to try and share. But nothing like I hear described by school reformers and those that have left the classroom. Just not what they choose to put out as what it all is. And that's a shame really.
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