Bad Call

Yesterday was Monday. As we pulled up to the daycare we noticed the dreaded white sheet of paper posted on the door that always means bad news for us. Daycare closed due to ___ (fill in the blank). Yesterday it was heating problems. So, as LK has used up all of his compassionate leave days for the whole year staying home with Sprouts in the fall and winter, it was my turn.

Going in to the school I was planning to organize plans for a sub, update my teacher candidate and head out with Jo. But then when I got in the classroom and saw the number of little details that it meant leaving unaddressed I couldn't do it.

At first I planned to stay just until lunch. That meant that I could do the "teaching" lesson that I needed to be there for (really hard for a sub to do) and then the sub could supervise the work period students needed in the afternoon. There was also an outstanding detention that needed to be addressed and I was reluctant to dump that on someone else. It was also the last day I had with my student teacher before her final observation. I felt that leaving her would let her down. Etc....

By recess I was also feeling bad about letting my Fearless Leader down and decided that since Jo seemed to be doing okay we could stretch it.

Jo did remarkably well during the school day. However, as soon as the students left he lost it. By the time we packed up to go home I was doing a Homer Simpson (Doh!) at myself. Why haven't I learned this lesson yet?

A three year old just doesn't belong in a fourth grade classroom. It's not good for the three year old, the fourth grade students, or the teacher.

Next time, someone shake me if I try to make it work again. Because, this was not a make it work moment.