For those of you who have not stepped into an elementary school for awhile, let me tell you, it’s a never ending surprise party from the moment you walk in until the moment you leave.  From the good to the bad, to the funny and the unexpected, it’s a whirlwind of activity from hundreds of children during the day.  This morning when I walked in the door and began to open up the door to my room, I heard a boy from the before school care group yelling “Toilet Paper Party with Captain Underpants!”  Welcome to my day.

The beginning band was playing next door as I prepared for my day, putting things away, setting up my computer, munching on my chocolate frosted donuts while I was checking my email.  At some point a chunk of chocolate fell off the donut and I briefly looked for it but couldn’t find it.  Until a little while later when I felt something up my sleeve.  I never said I wasn’t a messy eater.  My student teacher and I were discussing plans for the week when one of my students popped in my room for a hug and proceeded to tell me how she had been sick with a fever and her mom took her to the doctor thinking it was the flu but it turned out it was a UTI instead and that she had an antibiotic now.  Two more hugs later and she was off to class.  Yes, they tell me everything.

Learning about blues music, singing and dancing to get ready for a musical and another class later, we did our bathroom duty – not for us of course, but the kids – and it was off to lunch duty.  There seemed to be a problem at one of the tables and the substitute teacher looked at me with a questioning gaze so I walked over. A group of 4h graders were sitting there and proceeded to inform me that a couple of of 2nd graders had not been kind to them.  Yeah, I know – 4th graders fussing about 2nd graders, but the story gets better.  The 4th grade boy was upset because one of the 2nd graders walked by and asked “so what did you do this time?” because it was the table where students who are struggling usually go to sit during lunch.  But the best is yet to come.  When the 4th grade girls who were sitting with him stood up for him, the 2nd graders called them – get ready for this – old women grandmothers.  They were completely insulted.  From an “old woman grandmother perspective” I didn’t see the big deal but I guess I can’t see it from a nine year old girl point of view anymore.

The rest of the day was full of laughter and out of control behavior from the little people.  Not sure if there’s a full moon coming or if it’s the weather or the fact that they have another break coming up in a couple of days.  And what is it about little boys that they can’t ask you if they can go to the bathroom without holding themselves to make their point more poignant?  But that probably should be another blog for another day. Anyway, at one point my student teacher brought out a triangle which for some reason brought the song Jingle Bells to mind and the entire class sang an impromptu rendition at the top of their lungs.  It was so raucous that it took a little while to get them back under control.  You just can’t prepare for this kind of thing.

Thank goodness for my professional learning group of colleagues where we can share stories, laughter and encouragement after days like this and for those days when you just don’t know how much more you can deal with.  It’s nice to know we’e not in this struggle alone, that there are others who understand this craziness that is teaching elementary music.  Here’s looking forward to the craziness to begin again tomorrow.