Working on: Clearing my mind and taking a brain break. Maybe a little cathartic cry.
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Now, I've started a school year with some needy kids and some demanding parents. But NEVER in 5 years have I encountered a group like this year. Consider:
2 meetings scheduled with parents. Already.
4 emails from parents of my 7th graders.
3 emails from parents of my 8th graders.
3 phone calls to a parent of an 8th grader (because I got her voicemail every time - she finally sent me her cell #).
1 email to a parent regarding their child's behavior in my class.

These emails from parents include such award-winning phrases as:
"Please contact me if my child has a problem focusing."
"My child has ADD/ADHD but is not on any medications."
"My child has struggled in the past with....(fill in the blank)."
"Could you please let us know if there are any illnesses in the classroom such as chicken pox or flu."
"We would like you to contact our child's psychologist to coordinate any social problems they may be having at school." (believe it - I had 2 of these already).

Does not bode well for an enjoyable year. So I am having to step back, take a deep breath, and renew why I love teaching so much.

Meanwhile I can hear little Roman's voice in my head while I teach saying "Mama! Go mall? Play choo-choos?"........