Misleading

After I finished the last post I took Roscoe for a walk. As I walked around the neighborhood at dusk and processed my day the words I had posted floated around in my head. I boasted of our dog and the adventures we've had -the easy experiences of the last two months. I don't want to give the impression that is all that our lives have been. Granted, this is a public forum so my words may not be disclosing, but I want to be honest.

Yesterday, two students stole my classroom key off my keychain at school. The keys were sitting on my desk the last few minutes of the day as I helped a student understand her grade. In that time, a student slipped 2 of my 3 keys off the ring, leaving a few odd shaped keys and the laynard. I didn't notice the two keys were gone until 20 minutes later when I left for the staff meeting.

I felt scared. I feld embarrassed that I had let this happen. I felt betrayed and disrespected. Who would steal from me?

This morning the students were found, consequences assigned, keys returned, apologies spoken. This may seem a simple story, but to me it is more than that. The students were two of my best; smart, nice, respectful, funny. They claim they planned to play a prank and rearrange my room. They made a poor choice.

Today I was reminded of how much I care about students. With only 7 days left of school I had entered survival mode. I was doing all I could to teach each day, prepare for the next day, the end of the year, and already beginning next year's responsibilities. My energy and motivation levels are low. But it's not over. I am still an adult in a young adult world. It was devastating to watch these young people make a poor choice. It was painful to be hurt by their choice. And yet, I am excited to seem them for a few more days until the year ends. I am grateful for the opportunity to be in their lives.