I was having a crummy day. Nothing outstanding happened. Just the usual. Running late. Forgot to sign the permission slip. Almost late on a bill that got lost in the shuffle. (Thank God for online Bill Pay!) Out of milk. Nothing for dinner. Bank account low. Deleted a show by mistake before I actually watched it with no way to retrieve it.
Just your run-of-the-mill terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad day.
So, I called my sister.
“Hey! How’s it going?” she chirps.
I tell her. All forlorn. Waiting for the pity party to begin.
And it does. She’s great like that. After we commiserate, I ask her about her day.
Background info: She is the head administrator at an alternative school for teens.
She had to expel the girl who put the other girl into critical care Monday. A student stole copies of an upcoming test. She had an appointment with someone’s probation officer in 15 minutes. So, no time for lunch. Again. Her lead English teacher turned in her notice because she was following her husband to South Africa. And she had just finished a meeting with one of the plainclothes policemen that would be at the school tomorrow because a student posted on their Facebook page that they planned on bringing a gun to school.
Yep.
Just another day at the office.
Boy, I have it soooo good!
Please pray for all of our teachers and administrators out there. They have the toughest jobs ever!
Theycallmejane's Blog 
That kind of thing really puts it all in perspective, doesn’t it? I was feeling blue about my Dad this morning (he has Alzheimer’s and is in assisted living), and when I got to school, the first person I saw was a student who lost her father to a heart attack 2 years ago. I stopped feeling sorry for myself, grateful that at least my dad was still alive.
So true! I’m a school counselor in an elementary school. Yesterday we dealt with a runaway (took off for a lark, he thought it was a grand adventure) who was brought back by the police, I talked with the mom, and then the special ed teacher and vice principal busted a sex group set up by 8 yr olds. That’s on top of all the other regular mental health issues I deal with on an average day.
The grass is seldom greener on the other side. Our personal burdens usually turn out to be easier to handle, simply because they are ours. Being one of those teachers out there … thanks for the prayers .. every day is full of surprises when you teach.
Whoa. Suddenly pretty guilty about what I’ve been complaining about lately…
Oh. Wow. Schools have changed.
I sent heart-felt thanks to all teachers, especially my oldest grandson’s teacher, and the teacher who will get my middle grandson next year. Teachers, you have especially hard jobs now and many of you face layoffs when our children need you more than ever. God bless you all.
Puts it all in perceptive doesn’t it? We have a friend on Facebook who teaches in a Texas youth detention center and it sounds so sad 5 days a week from 8-3. She does great work but it is overwhelming how much work there is left to do….And she got head lice!!
On the other hand its nice to know your sis can appreciate your not so good day because just because you aren’t dealing with teens with guns doesn’t mean your bad day or off day doesn’t count.
Couldn’t be a teacher for any amount of money. Thanks for reminding me my life is pretty much an easy ride.
They do indeed have tough jobs. Very very tough, and with so little recognition.
Isn’t it amazing how one forgotten innocent little detail can really bring a whammy down on your day? “I was going to sit in my car, listen to music and read a book on my lunch break, but now I have to race across town and back because XYZ has to be dealt with today and I forgot.”
The thing about commiserating is that, ideally, you both feel a little bit better after sharing because you were there for each other and got some things off your chest. Nothing has really changed yet somehow you feel better. Or so I’ve heard. 🙂
I don’t think I could deal with your sister’s burdens. Wow. She must be very strong.
And see if your missed show is available online. You might get lucky. That worked for us with “How I Met Your Mother.”
It *kills* me that there is this anti-teacher streak in our country now. Most teachers are hard working people who love their job. And as a stay at home parent, days when nothing goes right suck just as much as administrators of schools having bad days. Some days suck.
My husband works at a really low school…he gets called a “M-fer” at least 10 times a day, breaks up at least 3 fights a day and a boy even peed on his floor last week. Yikes. Thanks for the thank you.