help.

I would like to say that I am eternally grateful to anyone who gives me any sort of hope that I can make a schedule and organize my classroom and my multitude groups so that I can actually get some good teaching done.

Today it was Sally.

She didn't simply commiserate with me and offer no suggestions. She also didn't blow of my struggles as nonexistent. It's a fine line. (I think I'm easily offended because I'm so worried I'm not doing a good job.) And she walked that fine line well. We're going to sit down and plan some more on Friday.

It's astonishing to me how hard it is to actually get someone to give you GOOD help. Mostly you're just expected to know everything and then you're belittled when "they" discover something you didn't know about and are therefore not doing. When you do know to ask for help there are several things that can happen:

1) the helper blows you off and says she is too busy (the result: you feel frustrated and abandoned)
2) the helper blows you off because she thinks you just want to complain (the result: you feel frustrated and misunderstood and annoyed and avoid talking to that helper in the future)
3) the helper goes on and on, in a very "duh" tone of voice, about what you "should" do, so much that you are totally overwhelmed and also feel awful for not knowing about all this stuff that you should so obviously be doing (the result: you don't do anything because you are right back to square one with not knowing where to begin and feeling bad about yourself)

So, like I said, REAL help...even the offer of REAL help, is so encouraging.

Therefore, Monday was not too bad.

However, when I asked one of my math groups what year it is, the response I got was, "Thursday." I wish I could attribute that to a case of the Mondays.

I also practically froze to death on recess duty. But still, Monday was not too bad.