Arms All Akimbo

Some days I feel like an Octopus with my reach extending in multiple directions around the school all at once.

There are currently eight classes I am part of  throughout the week, some of them I attend only 2-3 times a week, but one of them is now daily. Although I am not the "teacher of record" in any of my classes, there are students who depend on seeing me in each class. Some students I work closely with, and some I mostly just touch base with because they are trying to be more independent at this point in the school year. These are my caseload kids. But beyond them are others I've also worked with regularly and bonded with over time.

Today one of my arms was reaching out to a newer TA student who may be falling into the work avoidance trap. At least I believe that may be what's happening. A couple other arms were trying to reach students with overdue summative assignments in their ELD 4 Reading class because the long term sub is concerned and not quite sure what to do. These "deep dives" are so necessary at this point in the school year when Spring Break is coming, but still a whole month away. The students feel it. The teachers feels it. We are all turning into slugs.

Two more arms were organizing seed packets, pots, potting trays, soil, and procedures for ELD classes preparing to plant next week, while a few fingers of another arm were texting about a donated light table coming our way just in time. These same fingers were also contacting local high school plant sale organizers about leftover donations to the TJMS Community Garden.

That's six arms so far. Perfect, because I needed the last two arms to hold up pencils for the two Reading Buddies sign-in sheets on adjoining doors to classrooms where we convene at the end of the school day before going over to Fleet ES next door to read with second graders. Two classrooms so that the calmer kids can have the decompression time they need on a Friday afternoon, while the ultra-social sixth graders can bounce off the walls and expend excess energy right next door.

Time to take all my arms home and look for four pair of gardening gloves, because now it's my time to decompress.