Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Gosh darn it all, I just lost my message somehow! Grr!

Officially I'm doing early intervention, but the classroom in which I'm working only has one baby with a disability (and one I'm suspicious about, but that's another story). The other six range in age from 3 to 10 months. (And when the 10-month-old turns one and moves up, we're getting a 6-week-old!) I have one assistant teacher, and we work very well together. But....

We REALLY need a third pair of hands in my room. We can't even leave to use the restroom or get C.'s medicine from the lockbox in the fridge without calling the office for help.

The "floater" (teacher who covers all four rooms as needed) comes in so my assistant and I can take our lunch breaks, but he has a physical disability that causes him to be very awkward with the babies, to the point of being a danger to them...he has fallen in our room, and he has dropped or nearly dropped babies. Luckily I haven't had to mention this to my supervisor, because she has seen it herself...but she hasn't done anything about it.

On Wednesday when I asked to leave work early because I felt so terrible (I've been getting dreadfully nauseated after I eat), my supervisor accused me of having a panic attack because I couldn't handle the babies crying! We were actually having a good day, but whatever. Then on Thursday morning, she said, "If you were so worried yesterday, why didn't you go to the doctor last night?" Well, a) I went home and slept for four hours, and b) I didn't feel like spending the entire evening at the urgent care. Then last night of course I did go to the urgent care, and what did it get me? Four hours sitting there being bored, two prescriptions, a referral for abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds, and NO ANSWERS.

We've had one REALLY BAD day since the kids started three weeks ago. I mean, out of this world, I think I'd quit if I had another day like that, bad. And my supervisor was out of the building all day. But she heard from a set of parents that they had "some concerns"--never specified--about my classroom. Well, these parents were in the room because it was their 6 1/2-month-old's first day. And she had NEVER, I repeat NEVER, been away from Mom and Dad before. So as you might imagine, she did not have a good day! We wound up having to call Mom when the girl screamed hysterically for more than two hours--she didn't calm down even after Mom arrived, but did fall asleep in Mom's arms. Did I do the right thing? I don't know. But at least I was there to make the call--my supervisor wasn't in the building, not all day, so how can she judge how the day went, for heaven's sake?

And let me mention that we had FOURTEEN strange adults in and out of my classroom that day!!! I wanted to bar the door!

And last but not least, I am SUPPOSED to have planning time each week, from 1-1:30 every day in the classroom, and from 3:30-4:30 twice a week outside the classroom. In this time I could organize kids' files, plan lessons, etc. Ha! The childcare coordinator used to cover the 1-1:30 slot...sometimes...when she showed up...but I sure never tried to get planning done--I was too busy being grateful for the extra hands! And now she's been hired as the assistant teacher down the hall, so.... And in three weeks, I've gotten the 3:30-4:30 slot ONCE, when I put my foot down and told the assistant director that, gosh darn it, I needed to plan! And the director (AKA my supervisor) covered my room. But short of throwing a tantrum again, I don't know how to establish my right to the same planning time as everyone else. And not having it has had embarrassing consequences--the new girl, I didn't even get her file till halfway through her first day anyway, but I didn't know how to spell her name, and we didn't know her birthday till we looked it up today....

Those are the major problems I'm having. I'm worried that something's wrong with my health, but I've taken almost 11 hours of sick leave when I only had 8 to take. So all I can see is more tension to come....

I know my first year of teaching is supposed to be difficult, but this is absurd!

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