Feeling More than Frazzled

The above picture sums my day up perfectly!  How about you?  I called Mr. Incredible nearly in tears to tell him that if I let one tear roll down my cheeks I might just not be able to stop the flood gates.  Can anyone relate??? 

I am busy at school, at home, and in my photography business.  They are all wonderful blessings in my life and I am thankful for every one, but right now all of it together is a lot and I'm having one of those days so my sense of perspective is a bit off. Do you know what I mean?

Let me explain, in the middle of my multi-media class, a tacky screen appeared on EVERY computer in the entire high school system stating that we were out of memory....in non-geek terms that means brace yourself Bessie your system is about to come crashing down all around you...ready or not!  My students couldn't save their work or even log out of the system.

So, for the next hour I exhibited great grace under pressure.....not!  I probably looked like a crazed woman or better yet a chicken with her head cut off running from classroom to classroom begging teachers to please remove their personal pictures off of the network because we needed to free up major memory.  When there are over 200 students and less than 50 teachers and staff and the teacher memory is 2 times the student memory there is a problem.  And we need to fix it pronto rapido....pretty darn fast please or you are going to make my face stick like this!!!!  And it is NOT pretty right now! 

Thankfully, I had a few moments to compose myself before my next class because Mrs. Cruella Deville is not who I want to present to my student....and finding their teacher curled up in the corner crying in the  fetal position would not be a good thing either. Lunch hour came at the perfect time!

Seriously, I really think I could really come unravelled just about now.  I'm thankful that I don't have to do it all in my own strength.  God is too good to leave me all alone in this mess or to let me feel sorry for myself.  How do people do life without Him?  It would be impossible!!

On a lighter note, Rachel came to my classroom and gave me a ginormous hug at just the right time.  I love her so much!  She kept me company for a while during 7th period class....my class of 18 freshman who I'm convinced often live on one combined brain.  I warned them at the beginning of class that it had been a rough day and that they needed to be on their best behavior (I realize that is asking a lot from them) or they could expect an additional assignment on Friday. 

I think I had "DO NOT MESS WITH ME TODAY!" written on my forehead because, for the first time since the beginning of school, they all stopped what they were doing at the same exact time and they all looked at me.  I saw 36 eyeballs staring right at me and could have heard a pin drop.  I knew they could do it! Ha!

 I've never been so blunt with my students ever....and despite saying patience is the "P" word, I really do try to have patience with my students and I try to view teaching as a ministry but today I was on the brink... of I'm not sure what, and if I was going down, they were going down with me.  They worked quietly for several minutes and then the questions began:

A Student:  "Do we print this in portrait or landscape?"

Me:  "What does it say on the board?"

Another student:  "Do we print this in portrait or landscape?"

Me:  "What does it say on the board??"

This continued for a while...I'm not exaggerating one bit.

A few seconds later, after I passed out the much anticipated Journal Test I had this question. 

A Student:  "I can't answer question # 5 on the journal test because I was absent that day.  Can I borrow your journal?"

Me:  "I'm sorry that you were absent that day, but your absence was a few weeks ago and it is YOUR responsibility to get your journal caught up when you return!"

A Student:  After rolling her eyes and huffing says, "I can't borrow your journal?"

Me:  "No!  This is a journal TEST.  You have to use your own journal.  I'm sorry that you don't have an answer to that question but I cannot make you get your journal caught up when you are absent."

A Student:  More huffing and puffing and rolling of the eyes...and then she asked her neighbor for the answer and then they both received zeroes!  Oiy!

After a few minutes:

Another Student:  "Hey Mrs.__.  Do we print in landscape or portrait?"

Oiy!  I looked at my dear daughter and asked her if she was sure that she wanted to be a teacher some day.

She looked at me and laughed out loud and said, "I think I will look forward to Kindergartners who color outside the lines and pee in their pants!"  And then we both laughed until our sides hurt.  I'm thankful for laughter...especially on a day like today when I look like Cruella Deville or the crazy woman running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Calgon here I come!