Teenagers are aliens too.

Well, sorry guys. I was going to write some happy blog about hearing the baby's heartbeat and hoping that it's a baby and not an alien that will make its presence known by tearing out of my abdomen at dinner one night, to the fear and terror of my dinner guests.

But, guess what? I had a REALLY BAD DAY. And that's what I'm going to complain about right now.

Yesterday was such a good day all around. My principal came and complimented me on my instruction, using Greek/Latin roots as a basis for vocabulary acquisition. He was so excited about what these children were learning that he pulled all the sixth graders (and the few seventh graders I don't teach) out of class to come down to my hallway to see my exhibit. (I have the word parts and meaning posted in the hallway, and the kids wrote words with the corresponding word parts on strips of paper and hung them under the appropriate parts...takes up a whole wall.) He was so pleased yesterday he let me leave school a little early to go to my appointment.

Today I'm sure he was sorry they hired me.

Okay, so I'm new to this job. The kids are getting used to me. But, you would figure with this being the fourth Friday in a row that they would realize that yes, we are going to do work on Friday, and no I don't show movies (thanks a lot Mr. Pearce). Today they had a vocabulary test followed by writing (7th graders) and reading (8th graders). All I got all day long was resistance!

First of all, I explained to my students my test-taking policy...for the third time. I'm careful to be very specific -- no talking (even if you're talking to yourself, and yes whispering is talking) and no suspicious behavior. I'm the official judge of this. If you have a question, raise your hand and I will come to you. Do not call out your questions while others are trying to concentrate. You break these rules, you receive a zero, no arguments, no negotiations. Consider this your warning.

I gave out about 20 zeros today--that's about 20 percent of my students. Failure to follow directions. And then they had the audacity to be mad at ME! Geez.

Also, two children in each class period today got hauled off for fighting, yelling, screaming, misbehaving, disrespecting. My principal probably thinks I have no idea what I'm doing. And honestly, today, I had no idea how to handle the children. They just didn't care.

At one point during fifth period, the little freaks started banging on their desks chanting, "We want Smith! We want Smith!" over and over. Smith is the teacher whose job I took.

The last class period of the day, I (stupidly) stepped in trying to prevent a fight, but the girl (BIG girl) wouldn't heed my guidance as I tried to lead her out of the classroom and away from the girl she was screaming at. The situation escalated and the math teacher next door, Miss Jones, who was out in the hallway, came in and broke it up. She had heard them and then through the window she saw the girl elbow me in the stomach repeatedly as she was trying to break free of my grasp. I honestly don't remember what happened, just that I'm stupid for getting involved.

Now, I haven't told anyone at work about the baby, but I'm beginning to figure that some of them know. (Am I that fat already?) Miss Jones kept asking me if I was okay and how she was going to write the girl up for assaulting me in the abdomen. Then I just wanted to cry because I didn't remember it, there was so much going on. I can't refute that it happened though because we were making physical contact while I was trying to restrain the girl, and she was physically resisting. Now I feel like a bad mother. And a bad teacher.