Nobody said it was easy....

It has been quite a taxing week... not only physically, but emotionally. We've had a lot of issues at school with the fact that we are getting new teachers (at least three) which means some kids will get new schedules after getting used to a teacher for three weeks...
and then we have also had several kids trying to move levels within Spanish... it's been a rollercoaster. REALLY frustrating at times, and very stressful not only for me but for the whole department. I am a worrier... and when you add students to my job stress and the idea that everything going on behind closed doors affects them, it takes a toll on my sleeping habits. I woke up 4 times last night, and 2 times the night before... not because of bad dreams, but because my body couldn't help but think! THINK THINK THINK THINK. What am I going to do with IZEE? What is going to happen to Dakota and Dani and ... and ... anddddd???? What will their parents say about schedule changes? What can I do to make this easy for the kids who have to move?
We gave a diagnostic test -- and by we I mean I did, because waiting til next week seemed STUPID TO ME!!-- and turns out that at least SEVEN of my 70 or so Spanish 2 students have been TERRIBLY misplaced. I was terrified to see that several of the kids got through to Spanish 2 with D- and Ds! I was even more terrified to hear that the kids who passed with Cs in the classes of the teacher I am replacing (the part time one, not the retiring one) probably should not have passed at all.
So, I spent about 2 hours at the counseling office today talking to counselors who "mistakenly" placed kids at Spanish 2, even though they hadn't passed Spanish 1... trying to figure out if we could move them, going over protocol that needs to be followed when we talk to parents, etc...
And then I had to call a mom, Mrs. S, who is SO happy I am her son's teacher, but that told me from day one that his teacher last year (the shitty part time one) totally ruined her son's 1st year of Spanish. She literally told me that the class was a zoo, that kids did whatever they wanted and then my dept. chair/mentor told me that teachers from adjoining classrooms would have to come in and calm the class down because she couldn't control the kids....... (!!!!!!) HOW DOES A SCHOOL DISTRICT ALLOW THIS TO GO ON FOR A WHOLE YEAR? Do they realize how damaging this was for kids who, for example, relied on taking Spanish 1 on that year so that they could get their two years of Foreign Language in a certain time frame? Do they realize that these kids have to REPEAT Spanish 1 because THEY did not take action? Do they realize this is stressing me the !%!#^@& out?
Ugh... needless to say I didn't lose one, or two, or three kids today... I lost five (about 2 more to come). And these are only the kids I lost because of their inability to continue in the class given their grades and poor preparation... not the kids I will lose once the new Spanish teacher is hired....
I am a bit sad, and a bit discouraged by the lack of action last year.... but I am also hopeful that I can show parents that I can do better, that I care and that I do indeed want their kids to learn Spanish....

To infinity, and beyond...
xoxo,
B