Friday Meltdown

Friday was well interesting. It has taken me this long to even begin to process the day. I don't know that I have completely... nor do I think I want to completely.

I shall start by saying I have been fighting getting sick all week. My body wants to just sleep. My brain says you don't have time keep going. Stress well it is in full panic mode and has been for a while.

Back to Friday...

During student arrival, one of my students who is supposed to be suspended for I think fighting shows up at school. Deans had emailed mom to let her know night before and mom didn't get it. As soon as she saw the email, she called and said she was on her way to get her. Found that piece out later. I walk up to mom just shy of pulling her daughter out of the building with little sister in toe by the arm saying she's tired of this school and that she's sending them to IPS. Really? Cause of you think that's a threat... it's really not.
Last morning of ISTEP - Science test hasn't come in yet so were are just testing the morning. Thank you God. I no more get started on the reading the directions when one of the office staff members pulls me out and says that the director needs me in his office right away for a student meeting and bring the student's file. Well crap. This is the same parent I met with the day before and she said she didn't have a meeting the following day set up. (I knew she did but what ever) I'm told that I won't be in the meeting for more than 10 min. Yeah uh huh okay...

Get file and head to the office and start the meeting. I really wouldn't call this a meeting. I would call this more of a throwing under the bus execution style. I am attacked by three adults in the room, all while the director says almost nothing. Thank goodness for the Dean who did help me out a few times. I got everything from I don't respect one of the adults and her son, that I prefer talking to her sister than her and that I treat this child differently than one of the older students in the family. I'm told I don't follow the IEP because that is what the child is saying. I'm told that teachers call me and I am no where to be found and that I intentionally screen my phone calls so I don't have to speak to a parent. How do I screen them, well sometimes I pick up and say hi with the parents name and other times I don't answer the phone. Honestly, if I don't answer the phone I'm not in my office or I'm with someone that I can't answer the phone. Trust me, it's not choice really. Well that story wasn't bought. All three adults in the room thought that I was lying and just giving them a story so that I would look good in front of my boss. They know the truth. They told me that I need to cover myself because people are saying stuff about me. Then by end of the meeting, we were all laughing like nothing happened. Summary of the meeting... it's all about lack of communication. Ok...

I walk out of that meeting trying to hold it together and don't. Luckily had a dean there to help pick up the pieces of that one and let me boo hoo cry and let me vent.

Pulled myself back together - barely.. and walked back into testing because well I had an office staff member covering for me and she had to be sent back. The director knew I was out of the meeting so I couldn't use that excuse. I walk in with a box of Kleenex and puffy eyes to 10th graders. Yeah this wasn't going to end well.

Immediately I get questioned as to what is wrong. I brush it off as I'm just not feeling well. Thing is... these kids know me too well. They point black called my bluff and told me that they knew I was crying and demanded to know who upset me. Another student asked who I expelled because I did this when I had to expel him at one time. Luckily for me I was able to relate this to them by talking about stress and we all deal with it in different ways and this was just my way of dealing with it. They didn't like the answer but they accepted it and went along with what they were doing. I reminded myself this right here is why I do what I do.

Finish ISTEP, get more ISTEP books I need for make up and go and fish one of my kids out of ISS so I can give him some computer time for behavior the day before. (He was in ISS for what happened the day before that) Set the timer he's good I'm good I'm thinking okay we are back on track. Not...

Get a call on the radio asking if I'm in my office because there is a student that is really upset and needs to see me. I say sure send them down I have a few minutes. Knowing this student I can get him reset in 5 minutes and we're good. Nope..

By the direction that the conversation was going I could tell this wasn't a normal conversation. So student on the computer got FAR more computer time than I intended for him to have because well quite frankly I was now in crisis mode.  Short version is that the student who was upset was telling me of things that were going on at home (as to why he is now upset) that were pretty serious. 

Sent upset student who is now calm back to class, student on computer I had to leave with teacher next door because I now had to go and find administration so that a they could keep an eye on this kid for the rest of the day and b let them know that I now had to make a CPS phone call.

Get back to my office and started a make up ISTEP test with computer kid.  Convince him to do a second test before going to lunch, start in on the directions and there is a knock at the door. Crap. It is the upset student from before. Upset student comes in and says that his math teacher wrote him a pass because he was hit in the back of the head by another student and now he's upset. Why am I dealing with this? Computer kid a this point is like I'm good Ms. D take your time.

Walked computer kid back to ISS... cause we weren't getting ISTEP done.

Walked upset kid back to class so that I could figure out what the heck was going on in class. Get there and teacher's first words to me were, well I was going to call you but I just hadn't gotten to that yet. We had a near altercation in the room a few moments ago.

Did you see said student get slapped in the head?  No I didn't see that happen.

Dude!! There are 10 Kids in your class!!! In a pretty small room... How can you not see this?!?!

Back to my office - stop the dean let him know what is going on. Dean wants student to write statement. Done...

Get stopped going to my office to find out that the student of the parent that I met with is still in the building finishing up ISTEP which is fine, but that mom is now refusing to come back up and pick him up (despite that being the arrangement) because she has already been in the building once and she's not coming back) Dudes I ain't got time for this.

Finally get upset student back to class. I think great I'm good. I'm going to get lunch.

Before I even can go and get my keys and walk out. My computer kid is going crazy in ISS. Telling the ISS person what he will and won't do. ISS person is coming right back at him. Both are escalating the situation. Student says that he can't be suspended because he has an IEP. Staff member steps out chews my head off and tells me that we need to stop writing in IEP's that kids can't be suspended. Ummm so sorry but that isn't in his IEP.. Just cause a student says it doesn't make it so. Apparently this kid ended up with a 5 day suspension.

At one point during this also had another one of my students walk out of ISS because he thought it was stupid he was in there. He said he wasn't being disrespectful, the director was. Okay sure whatever get back in ISS. He ended up with a one day suspension. 

Eat lunch and finally have time to make a phone call to CPS. I'm told that it is being sent out for assessment. Great thanks!

Within 20 minutes I'm called by a case worker saying she may need me to hold the student but that she would let me know. Okay great.  5 min later She calls - I'm on my way with a detective. Great!.

Let my director know that we can't release the student, he flips out.. What are we going to tell Dad? Umm he's meeting with a teacher at the moment. Find out that dad is on his way for an early pick up. Crap, and here I thought the day really was going to get easier. Get student out of classroom before Dad gets there and of course he gets there before the authorities. I play cool. He buys it. (small victory)

Apparently when authorities come they give some information to the director about prior knowledge and this isn't the first call. Which when I am told this, it makes so much sense.

By the end student goes home with Dad. I just have a feeling that Monday is not going to be good.

I finally make it back to my office completely exhausted. A staff member walks in and wants to complain that her day has been horrible. I told her I don't want to hear it. My day started by being screamed at and ended with a student being taken into CPS custody I don't really want to hear about how someone walked out of your class.

Try to get some work done. I don't know why cause I haven't all day. When I get a call on the radio to see if I'm still in my office. Shouldn't have answered but I did/

So I know have a staff member in my office telling me how computer kid's behavior can't be tolerated. Mom is coming in on Monday and she says she's bringing him with her. I'm told that he can't keep doing what he's doing and not have a punishment and if we back off he knows that we will back off and will keep doing. Staff member recommends that if student comes we ask mom to take him home and that if we don't we call the cops for trespassing. Why? Because if you are suspended and show up at school you are trespassing.  I was like you do what you want to do, I'm not making that call cause it's not my call to make.

During this conversation I get another call on the radio to see if I'm in my office. Yes..

So now I have above person and a second staff member in my office. She wants to recant how horrible all of these kids are and how she has to deal with them and why are teachers sending students down for minor things and why are we putting students who just got into a fight in the same room together?  Umm... I don't know I just want to go home and go to bed.

On a side note - things that parents think are in IEP's

That we call every time a child gets in trouble
We can't suspend a child for a day because it's in their IEP that we can't because they aren't allowed to stay at home alone.