The Snowball Effect

Ever wake up in the morning having one of those days, right from the get-go? That was me today... I shot out of bed at the sound of my alarm, but it's like I wasn't even moving. It seemed to take me an extra long time to get ready, so I felt rushed. I even had to eat my cereal with warm milk... Ick. So anyway, I got to the school to print off some things and get some work ready for my classes today, but then I decided to open the bathroom door of my classroom.

I always check my bathroom to make sure it hasn't gotten destroyed or that it isn't smelly and whatnot, but today.... Oy, today.... Today, I had a flood on my bathroom floor. No joke, this puddle was covering the ENTIRE floor, and it was not just a damp floor... It was like an ocean! The principal actually helped me clean it up, so I thought the worst was over, with the exception that I was now super sweaty. I was still feeling rushed though.

Next, I went to help herd the kids into the dining area for their devotional time. As I was doing so, one of my kiddos stopped running, stood in place, bent over, and vomited in the middle of the play area floor. The principal just looked at me and shook her head as if it was just "one of those days," and said, "Oy, Miss Bobbi..." Yeah, yeah.... I then looked back at the little boy, only to see him bend over again..... Double dose. Yay.... Needless to say, I went straight to my room, grabbed my weapon of choice (Lysol), and went back to spray a nice haze of fumes from an aerosol can to cover the scent. During that time, however, I got back in time to see the boy ride a bike through the mess. Of course he would do that... He's one of my kids. Anyway, I finally got that mess mopped up, and Lysoled some more.

By this time, I re-checked my bathroom, only to see a NEW large puddle in the middle of the floor that had already taken over half the bathroom. Unfortunately, it was my turn to take over my class, and the kids were LOUD! I could NOT get their attention... One of my kids has a new record. I had to move his worm to yellow after 5 minutes of class.... Not a great start to the day! I thought that having new seats would solve the problem, but I guess not. Finally, I plugged my ears and let out a super-loud, bellowing, "AHHHHHHH!!!!!" That seemed to resound throughout my room. My kiddos just got super quiet and sat their with eyes the size of tennis balls as I told them that they needed to start listening. It was actually quite an effective method.

Recess was a new ball game in itself... I had to tango with a little girl that is not in my class. I have always had problems with her not listening to me. In fact, I tell her not to throw the blocks at other kids, and she looks at me, smiles, and does it anyway. Oh boy. Today she hit a nerve with me. She took a really hard plastic hammer and hit one of my students on the back of the head as he was riding a little tricycle around the play area. His poor face was a mixture of shock, pain, and a look that said, "Hmm... I think I might be about to cry because that hurt." I shouted the little girl's name as she wound up for another swing, but she ignored me, so I snatched her up so fast, put her in a chair, and took away the hammer. She immediately erupted in sobs (I was happy that I finally got a reaction from her for a change), and as I proceeded to scold her in Spanish, she attempted to kick me. *shrugs* I didn't care, and I just continued to tell her that she was never to do that again.

All the while, my puddle on the bathroom floor kept expanding. By the end of the day, I was scared to let kids go to the bathroom for fear that they might fall in the puddle and drown. It was like the size of the Pacific Ocean. Finally, the kids were dismissed and within a few minutes, the boy that had vomited earlier was bleeding. Then, it started to storm, and another one of my boys came up to me completely freaked out. So here I am, trying to carry a 5-year-old boy who is clinging onto me for dear life and pass out homework to the parents as they come to pick up their kids. It was a long day in the life of Miss Bobbi.

I thought it was all better this afternoon, until I looked at a new schedule that I was given at the end of school... My schedule was completely switched around, I don't have all my books at home to prepare, and the changes are to take effect tomorrow. Yippee.... Nothing like a day of winging-it! Luckily, Miss Bobbi always has more stuff that she can pull out of her sleeve (at least, I hope)! I also get to wake up bright and early..... Well, more than likely it will be dark.... Prayer meeting 5am. God and I will probably just be waking up at the same time...