Thoughts.com Blogs - My first graders report cards were in the bag, I w

I was all set for summer vacation

My second year of teaching first grade,

was not as eventful as my first one

although I always expect the unexpected

my poor principal learned the hard way

that the unexpected always happens to me.

The night before the last day of school I was toiling away in my classroom

packing books and taking down bulletin boards, and doing the usual end of the year busy work.

I had accumulated so much garbage, I made more than one trip to the janitors room.

I knew I'd be working past dinner so I brought along an extra sandwich.

Relieved, doesn't adequately describe how I felt when I finally finished my last report card.

I certainly did not want to have to take them home, like I did the year before...with disastrous results.

see my post

my kelly green mustang covetable died an untimely death

All I had left to do was fill in the attendance slot, something I would complete on the last day.

I gave every kid in my class a unique award
before I said good bye to them for the summer

and

I had just a few more of those to do before I could call it a night.

I put my report cards in my sandwich bag for safe keeping,

I did not want anything to happen to them and I certainly did not want them to get mixed up

with the piles of stuff I planned on loading into my car.

There was so much to haul I decided to move my car closer to the door.

It was pitch black outside and rather late.

Where had the time gone?

I was surprised to find myself the only one left in the entire building

except for the janitor

but

I had no idea where he was hiding

I certainly could have used his help.

I must have made ten trips to the car and was totally exhausted.

yet

very relieved to have finally completed all my unfinished tasks

I love to cross things off my to do list and that particular day

my list was a mile long.

I grabbed my purse which was the only thing left on my desk, and headed toward the door, I couldn't wait to go home and soak in the tub.

Just then I realized my report cards were gone.

They were sitting on my desk in a brown paper bag.

Where did they go?

Oh no, not this again...

I can not walk into school the next day and tell my principal

I lost my report cards, esp after what happened last year.

see my post

I searched my entire room from top to bottom and ran back to my car,

took everything out and put it all back in again, and still, no cards.

I began to panic....

started saying

St Anthony

please come around,

something's been lost

and

can't be found

please Tony

I know I depend on you quite often

but you have to help me this time

my principal is going to kill me

I had not realized I had been praying out loud

until the janitor appeared out of nowhere.

His name was Tony and he thought I was talking to him.

Tony was kind of a cranky guy,

sort of a hallway recluse

" sorry, its not my job kind of a person"

I asked him if he had seen a brown paper bag and he looked at me like I was an imbecile.

A brown paper bag in a school,

he thought I must be kidding...

unfortunately

I was absolutely serious!

He walked away laughing and talking to himself

He had just completed emptying the last of the classroom garbage cans

dumping everything into the giant disposal

on the playground and was headed for his meal break.

I had a real strong feeling that my little bag

filled with my first graders report cards

somehow ended up in that giant disposal on the playground.

I wanted to cry

I wanted to go home and go to bed

I wanted to scream

but I knew what I had to do

I moved my car,

aimed the headlights on the smelly garbage container

which was the size of my classroom,

and hopped in.

I searched through an unbelievable amount of disgusting debris.

Watermelon had been served for lunch that day, what a mess.

I found some notes that teachers wrote to each other and lots of other interesting things..

you have no idea how many kids don't finish the nice luches their parents make for them

that's another story

I discovered this fascinating fact because like bus boys,

all brown bags look alike

and I had to open a zillion of them

and gaze upon their contents.

I was bound and determined to stay until I found my report cards.

I knew it was not going to be easy but anything was better than facing my principal

the following day.

My clothes were stained,

I wreaked,

my shoes were destroyed,

and I realized sifting was not working.

I just kept sifting the same old stuff over and over again.

Although I really did not want to have to do this,

I had to empty the entire thing and return all the smelly items one by one,

it was the only way I had any hope of success.

Hours later, I admitted defeat. I fought a good fight, but I lost.

I drove home, took my clothes off on my parents patio,

threw my shoes in the garbage

ran in the shower

and began to rehearse my little speech

to Mr V (my principal) on the last day of school.

I also knew I needed to pack a sandwich,

because I was pretty sure I would not

be going to the teachers luncheon again for the second year in a row.

and that's another story