Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Getting Through With a Smile and a Little Divine Intervention

I was two blocks from work this morning when I realized I was in a way big, over the top, bad mood. I was tired, my head hurt and the only place I wanted to be was back in bed. I had one and a half blocks to figure out what to do about my predicament.

I decided to fake it. My goal was to make sure that no one knew how I was feeling. I was going to put on the big smile and walk confidently and happily through my day. The first step was to take a mental inventory of the day's activities with the hopes of identifying any problem areas ahead of time. If I knew when to expect the mood triggers, I might have an easier time getting through with my smile intact.

Problem #1: The Wednesday Team Meeting. It's a weekly meeting we have with the students to disseminate information and celebrate the successes of the group members. Or at least, I think that's what it's supposed to be. The meeting often takes on a negative tone, and feels more like a guilt-trip provided in the hopes that a bunch of 12 year-olds will through some miracle behave like angels, do all their work and be 100% engaged in the learning experience every moment of the school day.

I know I don't appreciate starting the day with a guilt trip, I'm sure the students don't either. (And yes, I know I should do my part to change that situation.) I didn't quite have a plan for the meeting; my only plan was to make it through with my smile.

And then, just as the meeting was about to begin came some sort of divine intervention. It came in the form of an unexpected fire drill.

I walked outside with my 13 homeroom students behind me and searched for a sunny spot away from the crowd. It was a little chilly this morning but with the early morning sun shining on us we didn't have too much to complain about. I watched a lone geese fly overhead and spotted a bright red cardinal in a distant treetop. I listened as the fire truck sirens got closer and watched the minutes tick by on my watch.

There was no fire. We have some renovation going on in the building and a tripped fire alarm is one of the many inconveniences we've come to expect. The whole event lasted about 15 minutes, just long enough to force the cancellation of the dreaded team meeting.

From then on it was smooth sailing!

3 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this honest journey through your thought process. I've had those days. One day I had signed out the computer lab only to find another class was in it. So, I had to head back to the classroom and change plans. When we got there, the intruding teacher rushed in after me to apologize. One of my 8th grade students looked at her and said, "It's ok, it was fate." And so was your fire drill. You weren't meant to endure that meeting today!

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  2. Saved by the bell, Mary. I'm glad things turned around after that.

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  3. Now I understand. Glad you escaped one situation and didn't encounter another...am I to assume that you skipped the English meeting this afternoon? Hee Hee, just kidding.

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