However...

But there is a silver lining.
And I am not giving hints as to what (or rather, whom) is responsible for that.

Laughs-A-Lot is one of the most wonderful guys I have ever met. As I look back through this blog at my many dating misadventures, I know that I finally met the right fit for me. We are both goofy, and dorky, and quirky, but we are also perfectly matched.

LAL has been my rock as I deal with this horrible job. He has given me support as I deal with an ailing grandmother who was my role model to be a strong independent woman. As I see that woman slipping away, LAL has helped me deal with a loss that isn't nearly complete yet. He has brought tears of laughter to my eyes on an almost daily basis. When I am having a neurotic moment, he comforts me. He makes me feel like every love song was written for us. He would do practically anything to make me happy. I would do the same for him.

I love my Sir Laughs-A-Lot, and he really is my knight in shining armor!

The Four Students of the Apocalypse

My students are HORRIBLE. I cannot even begin to emphasize this enough. It is to the point now, where I am beginning to question the entire career of teaching. Something I never thought I would do.
One is incredibly volatile, and just a few weeks ago assaulted 7 students, all older, in a matter of minutes. One child had a broken nose.
Another student sleeps all day. When I make him work, or take away his recess to catch up on what he slept through, he starts tearing apart the room.
A third student defecates and urinates in demand. He gets mad at me, I get a stink bomb in my class. He is also a compulsive liar, but the lies are so ridiculous that they are funny.
My final student is a cry-baby made worse by a mom, whom I swear has undiagnosed Munchausen syndrome.

For as bad as any of my students may be, the parents are even worse.
The parents of the violent student got an advocate and threaten to sue us constantly because we called juvenile after the playground assault.
My sleeping slug's parents give in to his every whim and spoil him rotten. He can't work for me, because he has never had to work a day in his life.
My super-pooper has parents that neglect him.
My fourth kid, no need to explain.

The cooperative where I work has been so kind as to leave me hanging in a meeting with one of these parents, who truly is mentally unstable. This is not hyperbole. I was alternately yelled at and praised for an hour. The two people who warned me about this parent's instability and promised they would back me up, never showed. They also never called the parent back when she tried to contact them after the meeting. She, of course, said she was going to take me to court over this.
Often I am promised classroom visits, assistance with completing paperwork, and various other things. They never show up when they tell me they will. Usually they drop in when I am in the middle of teaching a class and expecting me to drop what I am doing to then do whatever scheduled activity they missed initially. I have a director I have never met. She never attends meetings for the Cooperative that she is supposed to oversee. She somehow ends up sick on those days. I have no faith with anyone affiliated with this coop who isn't a paraprofessional or a teacher.

Many teachers and lay people tell me how lucky I am to only have 4 students in my classroom.

I am lucky because my principals are phenomenal and support me through every struggle and challenge--and there is at least one per day.
They seem to really like me and sing my praises often. I wish I was a part of the district and not the Co-op.

The promising news is that the superintendent of the district I work in is going to the superintendent of a much closer school. (My 100 mile a day commute only and lemon to the wounds that is this job!) He is a very well-respected super, who took a district with low test score and no budget and made it a gold-star district with a strong budget.
Did I mention my principals adore me?
The head principal is on the short list of contenders to take over my district. He is considered one of the best in the field.
I am hoping a letter of recommendation crossing the desk of the super taking over in the near-by-district signed by gentlemen he knows and thinks highly of could really be a benefit to me.

Just looking for a silver lining.

I hate my job.

I'm not dead yet!

Well, it has been a very long time. Much longer than I ever anticipated. The new job, not only SUCKS, but it also takes much more job, and especially ENERGY than I would like.
When I do have a spare moment, it is usually spent with LAL, and every other week, Bubbles.

We are becoming more and more like a family. I don't want to be Bubbles mom. She has a mom and they love each other. I will say, though, when we are together, we have a bond very mother-daughter like. LAL loves it.

Everyone was expecting me to get a ring for Christmas. Let me alert you all right now, that did not happen.
I did, however, get a beautiful emerald necklace to match the gorgeous emerald/diamond ring I have. (I plan on using the ring as a wedding band, some day.)

I hope to get back here tomorrow night and add stories, details, and so on.

They changed this site! Look! I can add COLOR now! I had wanted to do that for a LONG time!

Hope everyone had a FABULOUS holiday; I wish you all a happy, healthy new year.

--Miss Bethie (Yup--still a Miss...but probably not for too much longer!)