Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Mental Health ---mine!

I am at home today. I actually filled out a "personal day" excused absence form at school yesterday, making today a "legal" day to be gone (with pay.) We are allowed 2 personal days a year and I already took one, and by retiring in approximately 17 days, I will lose the other one if I don't use it. So, I have declared today as a "mental health" day.
I am not sure why, but the kids at school are like caged animals. I have not noticed this being so bad in years past, but this year discipline has really been an issue. Drama with the girls, and just crass behavior from the boys has become the norm this year. I don't have any explanation for it other than raging hormones and massive doses of estrogen and testosterone. Many of them are extremely rude, and if we say anything as staff, we either get static from the student, or guff from administration.
Well, I had had enough by the end of business yesterday, so I just decided I needed a breather. I have a group of 6th grade boys that I monitor all day long. They have various learning disabilities, which is why I have them, but yesterday they just got on my last nerve. I cannot put my finger on any one thing they did as a group or individually, but I just needed a "time out." Tomorrow the 6th graders are going on their annual field trip to Chicago and will be gone all day. So for today and tomorrow, I feel like it will be a mini-vacation for me.
I just needed to step back, get away from the whole "school scene" for a day. I am sure I will be ready to go back tomorrow. Do I feel guilty about this? Maybe just a little because it does put a hardship on the rest of my workmates when one of us is missing. But, I can live with that. What I don't feel I could live with was being there in the midst of chaos one more day without a break.
Retirement can't come too soon to please me!
Peace,
JE

2 comments:

Curley said...

Hope you had a restfull day with lots of peace and quiet. And by the way, Happy Birthday tomorrow!

Maggie said...

My mental healthy day is tomorrow- so i can honestly say i totally understand why you need this!