teachers are my heros

I'm volunteering once a month in both Logan's and Riley's classrooms and have to admit, it's harder than I thought. Today was my first time in Logan's room managing groups of ten as they measured perimeters of squares and rectangles made from rubber bands on geoboards. It sounds more complicated than it is, because 8 out of 10 in each group seemed to grasp it with ease. And then there were the "others."

As a mom, I can certainly imagine that teaching is beyond difficult and requires unheard of stamina and patience. In the one hour and fifteen minutes I was there today, I ran out. Fast.

There was the little girl I know from another walk of life that tried to make silly jokes throughout my "teaching". There was the boy that flat out refused to listen to me - he just kept spinning the globe at warp speed. I finally said "Hey you!" I know, totally inappropriate, but I didn't know his name! Logan said, "MOM! His name is Tony!" And I tried with Tony, I really did. But minutes after making his acquaintance, all I wanted to do was send him to the Principal's office. Then there was Wyatt, who refused to do the project, but created the most elaborate rubber band designs on record. None of which he got credit for because the child refused to make even one square on the stupid board.

I watched that clock tick down like it was 2:55 pm in 1989 and I was waiting for the bell so I could see my high school boyfriend. When my stint was done, I cleaned my desk and exhaled as Logan's awesome teacher sent them all away and back to their desks. As she came over and smiled, she said, "You survived!" And I said, "You're my hero. It's official!" And then, "Time to go!" I like her so much because she totally laughed. She gets it and then some.

Here's to all you teachers out there! I thought my job was hard....