There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

Well, life has definitely sped up since August. The beginning of school is like a whirl wind in west Texas. You don't exactly know where it's going to go or if it's going to slap you in the face with dirt. This year has brought many changes, both good and bad. It is teaching me to grow as a person, employee, and teacher. I am really enjoying my kids. (yay!)

I say all that to say this. Our numbers are incredibly high this year and as a result, teaching space is limited. For half of the school day I work as a reading interventionist pulling low readers out for extra help. The only space available lies near the bathroom in a "pod" area. There is a white board, a janitor closet, a staff bathroom, and a bathroom used by the entire school. Sometimes, it's hard to get a small group focused. They are more interested in kids skipping down the hallway or janitors moaning and groaning in the closet while digging for a mop. Classes leave for P.E. or Library. A teacher they know walks to the bathroom and waves. Not unique to today, I felt pressed for time. I was working hard to keep the kids on track amidst the chaos ensuing around us. As I went to explaining plot, young girls ran from the bathroom yelling for me (even though they don't know my name, kids result to tattling to the nearest adult). I reluctantly left my hard working students and went to investigate the problem. "A boy is in the girls' bathroom!!!" they informed me. I wasn't sure what sort of mischief was occurring in this unsupervised area, but I was annoyed. I had kids to teach, here! I rounded the corner and found the stall door wide open and a small boy with pants unzipped. I backed up and let him finish. When he came out, I quite calmly and sweetly (OK, as much as I could muster) asked, "Did you know this was the girls' bathroom?" And this was his reply, "Yes. But the boys' bathroom is tooooo dirty." Oh my.

I escorted my new first grade friend back to class and tried to resume my "class".

And so it is a day in the life of me... teaching by the bathrooms.