A kind email...

I had a day today. A day in which I asked myself again...why am I doing this? I yelled at a student today. Argggggg...the teacher who teaches across from my office today said that is the first time she has heard my voice in 5 years from her classroom. She said the teacher next door yells all day long and kids never bat an eye...just used to it. She said kids in her room froze when they heard me raise my voice. She said...oh boy somebody must have done something bad. Well..they did. Three boys, goofing around, I had a full office of 8th graders planning for HS. Three boys were looking at a computer, not enough room to see. A boy turned and slapped another one across the face-the sound of the slap silenced the room. GET OUT Of HERE NOW-GET OUT OF MY OFFICE. He ran...very quickly no argument. It didn't help that he slapped one of my favorite kids. Just kidding. But probably it didn't help. So the best part is that the Principal only gave the kid a warning. And let me tell you this is not the first time in this lovelies 5 years at LMS that he has been in the principal's office for putting his hands on someone. Arrrgggg. So I was cooked this afternoon.
But we had a meeting after school with a lot of collaboration and some good work toward helping another young man. It is the group that I coordinate so I was kind of pleased at the end. But still overall felt crummy about the yelling incident that was followed up with the message that the slap was not that big a deal. (isn't it sad that we can have some good things happen but we can still be consumed with the bad-i hate that)
Got home late after grocery shopping but a great phone call with dad that made me feel better-had dinner-played with the girls a bit-did the treadmill-and sat down to read my emails and I had this in my inbox. It is an email from a legendary teacher. She grew up in OOB, and has taught at OOB forever. She has had EVERYONE in school and she is much loved. I have had a rocky road in gaining her respect and trust. And probably this incident will only carry me a week or two with her-BUT hey I will take it. So I am sharing some of her words because I feel like bragging. Sorry-it won't happen again.
Hello Beth:
I just wanted to extend my very sincere thanks for the way you handled the SAT meeting today. I so admired the intuitiveness you showed when you mentioned that we needed to have an alternative plan for __________ if he was to succeed at all. It is merely looking at things in a realistic way if we are to get anything out of _________. I see you as such a good and loving mother to your little girl, and I know in your heart, you know very well this is definitely lacking in _______'s life. Thank you so much for speaking so sincerely on his behalf. I also know that your soul purpose is to be an advocate for every child in our school. I was so impressed by the way you openly supported __________, and he mentioned it to me as well when we walked out together. If people only fully realized the hell this child sometimes goes through, they would well know that he has all he can do to float above water. Thanks again Beth.........thanks for your caring heart.