Most Stressful Week So Far...

This week started off great! Due to a calendar error we had Valentines day off instead of the upcoming Presidents day. I don't know about you but I'd rather have Valentines off instead of Presidents day every week. However this year wasn't as exciting as the last few years, I'm still sick :( Luckily towards the end of this week things took a turn for the better illness wise. I'm still coughing, but not as much. Unfortunately I'm coughing enough that it is stimulating my gag reflex and I've lost my meals for the past week. Not fun :( It is hard to believe but that was the highlight of the week for me after Valentines.

Tuesday work was fairly normal with a few hyper students, the same with Wednesday. Then Thursday came and I definitely earned a few grey hairs. So the students and I we're getting ready to go to lunch and as we walk in our line, made it to the cafeteria, and we're on the line to get our trays. Suddenly a higher up ran over to me and said "Get your kids back to the classroom, We're on lockdown!"

My first thoughts were "CRAP!", "I need my assistant back here NOW!" and then I loudly tell my kids to turn around. Well obviously this was impossible for 3 year olds. So I go down the line and say "Turn around, we're going to the classroom" and physically turn their bodies around. I had to do this twice because they just didn't get it. I'll give them credit though, they know their routine and they stick to it. Not to mention we had several older classes rushing to get out at the same time so they were watching everyone BUT me. Anyways I look back and like magic there is my assistant and she has the front of the line while I'm trying to get the back of the line to stay turned around and walk the other way.

Smart Teacher Moment: I bribed the kids that if they walked fast, I'd give them gum in the classroom. It worked.

We made it back to the classroom, counted the kids and one student was missing!!! One of my little girls who NEVER pays attention. Que freak out, so we get on our phones and start calling the higher ups. Luckily the child was found, it turned out that while in our line another teacher saw a gap in the line and asked her "Who is your teacher?" and instead of saying "Ms. White" she stopped, shrugged and said "uuuhhh" So the teacher grabbed her up and took her to the room they were going into.

In the end it was a kid from a neighboring high school that some of our middle school kids were taunting one day and the high school kid came back for retaliation and started threatening students that he'd beat them up. I'm quite disappointed in those kids, but they learned a super important lesson. At one point he was peaking in our portables, but he didn't try to come in because he was looking for the big kids and not our little kids. Needless to say they know who the kid is as he had already been banned from campus, and we have extra security.

Lessons the school has learned and already fixed:

• Keep all gates closed and locked, we have keys for a reason.
• There is now a designated person that is set to tell Pre-K when we're on lockdown.
• Don't go back to the portables during a lockdown, even if someone tells you to
• Do not prop doors to the portables open.

My Lesson:

• Make the kids hold hands like a chain when we walk during an emergency.
• Keep stress chocolate in the classroom.