I have to really thank you for reminding me how much I love teaching.  I love doing this every day.  I love the kids, especially this year!  I am having a really great year myself.  I have some wonderful intelligent students who want to share their lives with me.  They tell me what is happening with them and I don't have to be afraid I will have to report anything to CPS.  It used to be an enormous problem at my old elementary school.  We now have a different population.  It isn't perfect.  Take last year for example:  I had 43 students and 10 of them were monsters.  I almost have to laugh when the 5th grade teachers come to me and want to know who had So-and-so last year.  I did.  How did you handle it?  I drank a lot and started smoking again.

This year is a dream come true.  I love my class.  We can do exciting and fun things and everyone gets to participate.  I am not completely without problems.  I have an occasional discipline problem, but I handle it and I don't send them to the office.  I take care of it in the room.  How will a teacher ever get control of a situation or class if they always send the child to the office and give someone else the control?

I have 30 students right now.  There is not a single one I would trade for a new student.  Even the students who challenge me are a delight.  Hmmm...Am I having a good day?

Now I need to just quit drinking and smoking...