These are the only food pictures I managed to snap today.
an onion bagel with just a teeny smear of whipped cream cheese
My breakfast pictures are usually not reflective of how my mornings go. I eat breakfast in the car 90% of the time – it’s not that I’m always running late, I just like to be at work as early as possible.
And snack at 5pm…
a green apple while grading
In the 3rd grade world…
I didn’t have time to take any food pictures today because in between teaching reading, writing, and math, I was dealing with some nasty parent emails for the first half of the day. My lunchtime was spent writing 2 students up for fighting on the playground, and my afternoon was spent dealing with more vicious parents.
Just when I thought I was losing all hope in parents of 8 year olds, a dad and a student walked into my room after school and handed me this:
This note turned my whole day around.
Dear Mrs. Unger,
When I was reading a book from your library, I thought it was so good, that I took it home, covered up UNGER and made it look like my name and my Grandaddy gave it to me. Two nights ago I felt so bad I told my parents and cried while talking. I didn’t know what else to do. After the discushion, I went to bed and cried so hard my dad had to come talk to me again. I don’t know what I was thinking before I know it was the wrong thing to do. I’m really, really, really, really, really sorry. I’ll never do it again. I’m going to buy you another book with my own money.
From Sad Samantha
.
OH MY GOSH. That just rips my heart out.
Let me just say I love yoru blog for many reasons. Not only are you dedicated to your health, but I can relate to you because you are a teacher just like me. I’ve spent many a-morning dealing with nasty parent notes or spending my lunch break either working or dealing with student issues. I totally feel ya, sister! I sometimes wonder if others truly understand what we go through on a daily basis. Teaching is rewarding, but it is by no means easy.
I’m glad your day turned around! Notes like that melt my heart. Hang in there…Christmas Break is around the corner!
I think there should be a reality show on teachers and what we go through and how hard we work! I was emailing with a parent on Thanksgiving Day, never a dull moment but thank God for the kiddos!
Haha, a reality show! What a great idea…I think it would be a hit, I don’t think the public would believe half the stuff we deal with! Have a good night, Kristen.
That’s awesome. Another lesson learned. I hear my brother’s nightmare parent stories every Wednesday. Keep up the good work!
Omg, can I give Samantha a cookie?!
Oh my goodness, that note is so heartbreaking! I am such an emotional basket case when it comes to things like that!!! Among other things, that note says that YOU are doing 2 things very right with your kiddos:
1. Teaching them to love books and reading (so much that they want to keep your books!!)
2. Teaching them honesty and that if you make a mistake, it’s the right thing to own up to it
ah! that is precious! i love honest children!
Such an adorable note! It’s things like that that make teaching more than worth it (especially after a day filled with nasty parent email – you poor thing!).
I spy your Yukon Tracks hat in the front seat of your car!! I love that you truly are getting such good use out of it! I must tell you that we have a line designed for young kiddos too, so let me know if baby Unger needs a hat too
PS: Poor Samantha! I hope she feels at peace soon!
I seriously LOVE that hat. I recommend them to all the teachers because we have some really cold “recess duty” days, and that hat makes all the difference!
You know I could be one of those parents….fighing spirit in all of us. But at least I caffinated you up with mochas and sweet treats, recipes, gifts !!! ha I agree Poor Samantha and she will never forget this lesson…with the day you had I am sure you wanted to cry with her…. two words: NEW YORK!
Tona, you were NEVER one of those parents. NEVER. You were so kind to me…some parents can just be mean!
Awww Thank you sweets! I wanted to treat my kids teachers with kindness b/c they were with my children ALL day. Hello?? Parents need to grow up, volunteer more and discipline their kids. Schools need to get rid of bad teachers and keep the GREAT ones like you, Kristen and Mandy
and Mendez!
O parents…..I have more patience for children! I teach cooking at a very ritzy private school in LA and I swear the parents are crazy! The sad thing is, i think most of the kids are raised by nannies and butlers.
Awww, so sweet and so powerful! Why do so many people forget what it means to have a conscience?? We need more people like her in the world! =)
That’s the cutest thing ever. Oh my gosh, so adorable!!
The parents at my high school were definitely harder to deal with than the girls. Most of us were pretty polite and well-behaved, but when people’s parents were pissed some serious sh*t hit the fan…
I eat in the car each morning too but unlike you, I’m just always running late…
Sorry about all the drama. Probably comes with the territory, I can’t imagine the crazy things teachers must deal with. Kudos to you!
That is the sweetest/saddest note ever. Poor thing, she felt so bad!
Sorry about all the mean parents
What a good kid to come clean like that! I just want to give her a hug.
Aw how cute… I can imagine how that little girl must feel…
)
I guess steeling books is not awful at all, I mean, it’s a book, it’s great that a kid actually wants it so badly, right
But good thing she did return it in the end
That is so incredibly adorable! I miss kids.
I’m going back to C Springs a bit earlier next semester to work in a public school as a college aide. Not sure where I’ll be yet, but I’m excited!
awhhh. that is the sweetest note ever! i love reading abou twhat your feedback is like and experiences with students!
xo.
Oh my goodness, that note! You can’t be mad at a little kiddo that writes a note like that, that just makes you want to smile!
Most of the time it’s the parents and not the kids that are the hard part of teaching. I hope and pray every day that I don’t become a blind parent that can’t see that their child may be at fault. Really, I just hope that I can be the type of parent that can look back and say: I defended my son when needed, scolded when necessary and knew when to apply each action adequately. It really is harder than it seems. I hope you and sad Samantha are better. Cute note!
precious
that is the sweetest thing!! you must love your students (well most of them ;0 )
I don’t understand why some parents insist on being mean and nasty to the teachers.
I praise my kids teachers (3rd grade and Kindergarten), they are with my kids all day long and my kids LOVE them! I can’t imagine being mean and nasty to their teachers, I know my kids and know what they put ME through, I can only imagine a whole classroom full of kids!!
Jen
oh my goodness….that poor girl! How incredibly sweet and brave of her!
Sounds like you had a pretty rough day. I dont understand why parents feel the need to send nasty emails to teachers, I mean if the student has done something wrong some things need to change. I would be scared to be a teacher because I dont think I could handle having students with mean parents.
I am also glad that your student realized what she did wrong and apologized. I am also glad to see that her parents brought her in to return the book!!
Two things: 1) Why are parents getting “nasty” over their eight-year-olds? 2) I feel so bad for that kid. What a pitiful little letter. Can I give her a virtual hug?
I totally appreciate what teachers go through each and every day, more so now than ever before. Since i started working with kids a lot more this Summer, i have realized just how important it is to have a good relationship with the parent (just as much so as the child). From reading your posts, i get that this is MEGA important to you, and that is pretty impressive! Not every teacher has the patience that you seem to have with parents, and you seem to be their friend as well which is cool. That note almost made me cry… I feel so bad for that girl because i remember doing that exact thing when i was younger with a beach towel from a friend’s house, haha.
so so so cute. i think this was the sweetest story ever. once when i was younger my parents gave me stickers for reading a certain number of pages…well, clearly i wanted stickers, and fast, so i lied and told my parents i had finished a “chapter book” (that was a big distinction from regular books) when in fact i hadnt. it was something ridiculous like 100 pages in an hour which clearly wouldve been record timing for a 4th grader or whatever, so my parents obviously knew i was lying. in the end i couldnt stand the guilt and gave the stickers back to my parents and fessed up. haha. they still make fun of me for it.
That is the cutest story. I like that your parents just let you get away with it, and then your conscience kicked in…what a good kid.
I should have written a note like that! I probably still have Trumpet of the Swans somewhere from my 1st grade teacher’s library. Ironically, we are now friends on FB. I guess I should confess 30 years later!
oh samantha! i can just see the guilt in her face. it’s such a good reminder to appreciate those little things