How is this possible

I swore I would say no to some things, but it has not turned out that way. I do love being a teacher. However, the amount of meetings and deadlines and observations and slcs and plcs and staff issues I can not keep it all straight. On top of all of this I am told on a daily basis how much better the school is this year. I am so, I don't have the words, I am so . . .

Regardless, today was one of those special teaching days. The day before a holiday. Halloween. Oh my goodness. They had a dance for the kids at lunch. It was free if they had no Us and no Fs on their report cards, otherwise it was a dollar. Does anyone remember Middle School Dances?  I did not attend because I had spent my conference period with another teacher's periodic assessments and had to finish my work during lunch. So here it is:

Boys sit in the chairs on one side of the room. Girls want to dance -- with the boys. Girls line up in front of the boys who are still sitting in chairs and dance for the boys. Oh, no! is what you are thinking and to that I answer "Oh Yes." I really didn't know if I believed this description, but as my 5th period class filed in one student exclaims, "J got a lap dance!" 

Middle school is some kind of crazy social experiment. They smell bad, they talk bad, they behave like jack-a-ninnies and today they were hyped up on way too much sugar and hormones and walked into my room. 

Result of this day = I am exhausted and completely mentally and physically beat down. However, I fill my weekend coming on strong and will not be down for long. 

My mantra goes something like this: "they are only children, they will learn something, it will get better, some day they will be embarrassed about their time in middle school."

That is all I have.