Wow Wednesday-Friday must have been the 3 days from h@!%. The issues I had with these 2 parents, are things I've never dealt with. No matter what i've done this year, for these two it just hasn't been enough. Despite having an entire webpage for my classes, full of reviews, class notes, powerpoints, etc. I just haven't made the information readily available for them. By Thursday morning i was in tears, which streamed off and on through friday afternoon. Sometimes in anger we say things (in my case they came as emails/voicemails) and dont consider that the person on the other end has feelings as well. For the msot part i think this was the case. One of the parents was very apoligetic, post rude comments, and for the other well... we will have to wait and see Monday....
I've always heard that if you can survive the 1st 5 years of teaching then your in for life. Well it dawned on me today that I'm at the 4 1/2 point this semester and its been a doozy. (I began teaching in Jan 2005. I was hired one month into student teaching). I seriously was at the point of thinking... Maybe i need a career change??? Maybe a grade change??? Maybe a school change???? maybe i need to become a desperate housewife, they seem to have a good thing going!!!
But then i received an email from a parent thanking me for all that I've done, and how i've gone above and beyond to help her daughter. So often we fuss and complain when people, resteraunts, etc are doing a bad job. But how often do we say job well done. When I worked for Barnes and Nobles (in college) my RM said, It takes 10 good comments to replace 1 bad comment.
So as someone who takes their job very personally (i'm not sure how a teacher couldn't) please tell people when you see a job well done. That may just have been the "pick me up" they needed that day!!!!
p.s. it also helps that i work with an amazingly supportive team of teachers, admin, and family. Between my co-workers, team leader, and Asst. Principal, hubby (who offered to trip anyone else who hurt me this week), and parents i'm not sure how i would have made it this week !!! it's nice to know that your not alone
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