Today was: GOOD

I'm home early today because Miles had a doctor's appointment right after school. I can watch Oprah!

SO, today was a weird day - weird because I felt like I wasn't really a part of the class all day. The reason for this was because I had to act as documentarian - we had a video camera so that we could tape the girl with autism's WILD behavior. IRONICALLY, today she was a freakin' angel. Seriously, this was her best day so far, sitting with the group at the right times, jumping around with everyone else when we were playing a Gingerbread Man game ["Jump, jump as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man. Clap, clap as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man." You get the idea...], she nicely cracked open an egg to contribute to the gingerbread cookie dough we were making, she sat at her table and did her work when she was supposed to, etc. A perfect little angel. However, I had to sit behind the camera all day, recording her NOT acting like she normally does, while the class events went on with out me. It sucked. I wanted to sit with the group and jump around and pour the vanilla into the cookie dough and sit at a table and help kids with their work. We're going to tape again tomorrow [hopefully, someone else will be forced to be cameraperson] and see if the girl's good day was a fluke or something.

I don't know if you remember a little girl in class that I've mentioned before - she's just beautiful, and when I spoke about her before I said that she had self-esteem issues. Well, this girl has ALREADY come a long way. Out at recess today she handed me a piece of sidewalk chalk and said, "Let's draw people". She started hers and I said to her, "Um, I seem to remember SOMEone who, just a few weeks ago, kept saying, 'I can't draw people!' And, now she's drawing people like crazy! Do you know who I'm talking about?" She smiled and then asked if she could help me draw my person. What a doll.

A new student starts tomorrow. Apparently the kid isn't transferring, his parents just haven't put him in school until now - I would call this bad parenting. Yeah, it's only the fourth week of school, but it's kindergarten and he really should've gotten acclimated with the rest of the kids. Miles said that he hates it when kids start the school year late and I joked, "Why, because he could potentially be a 'bad kid' virus that would infect all of the other kids who have already been broken in?" Miles said that I was pretty much right. Oh, yes, I'm learning.

I keep forgetting to mention the Teacher's Lounge/Lunchroom. It's, honestly, one of my favorite places in the school because it's like The War Room or something. It's like getting to go backstage at the circus or walking through a film set. Behind The Scenes you get to hear teachers complain about the reading program they have to do, about kids who are getting on their nerves ["Oh, you have ___? Yeah, she's a REAL handful..."], about rude things students have said, about the boring meetings they have to attend, about the lousy days they are having, etc. It's also the place where you get to hear teachers talk about the kids they love, about the successful lessons they have just taught, about the hilarious things kids have said, about how the advice of another teacher was valuable, and about how even though they are stressed to the max and work long hours and take care of their own kids at home they can't imagine doing anything else with their lives.

On my way home from school I had to drop off a roll of film for Miles - I had taken pictures of all of the kids so that we could make a class scrapbook. As I was approaching Walgreens a woman [who looked a bit drug-addled and homeless] approached me and asked if I could buy some rolls of toilet paper for her. When I asked her why she needed me to do it she replied that she has been banned from the store. Initially I just looked at her and said, "Oh, just come on in with me. Do you really think that they'll recognize you?" She said that she's had repeated "run-ins" with the security guard. I just kind of laughed and then walked into the store, intending to take care of my business and then leave. Well, I started thinking, "Come on. She just wants some toilet paper - what's the big deal?" [I'm just SO used to walking past people who are asking for money and saying "Sorry".] So, I walked back outside, she gave me $1.50 to buy 3 rolls [it was on sale for 39 cents a roll], and I walked back in and got her her toilet paper. It took an extra minute or two, and when I walked back out and handed her her 3 rolls of toilet paper and left-over quarter [the total was $1.27 and I spotted her 2 cents], she said that I must be an angel [strangely, she was reading aloud from REVELATIONS in the bible when I gave her the stuff...]. Take a moment out of your day, folks, and buy a stranger a roll of toilet paper - it feels good.