Tales from a Teacher-Mama

On Friday (March 27) I turned 35. As London Tipton would say, “Yay me!” (The girls have definitely been watching too much “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” lately…)

Since it was a Friday, of course I had to work. This really wasn’t so bad as co-workers showered me with birthday good wishes. However, the disruption of routine was not so great for my students. Micah* had a crying/shouting/flailing meltdown and went to the in-school suspension room to calm down while the rest of the class went to bake cupcakes. By the time we finished that activity, another Finn* was on the verge of a trip to ISS himself–also screaming and crying. An aide took him for a walk after lunch while the rest of us frosted cupcakes; the walk ended in another tantrum with Finn pounding his fist against a window. Meanwhile, before we could get the party started, Micah accidentally-on-purpose knocked Carly* over, then proceeded to throw a real fit about being put in time-out. I ended up pushing my crisis call button to have him escorted back to the ISS room so I could blow out my candle and pass out the cupcakes.

This is not to say that it was a bad day. It was crazy…but I’ve come to know that that comes with the territory! But between tantrums, I got a special balloon arrangement from a co-worker friend that definitely brightened my day. I was wished happy birthday by students and staff up and down the halls. The kindergarten and first grade classes made me cute construction paper birthday cards. One of the middle school classes videotaped a short skit in honor of my birthday for the school-wide morning announcements. My brand-new student teacher had a gift for me–a beautiful necklace and earrings made by one of the aides in my classroom. After cupcakes with my class, I was treated to another chorus (of sorts) of “Happy Birthday” by the middle school class that had made the video announcement. When students were finally ushered onto buses at the end of the day, my great friends in the elementary and middle school departments had cake and ice cream waiting for me, along with cards and gifts. Overall, I could not have felt more special and loved.

*of course, student names have been changed

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