"Alex. My box is missing."
It's that time of year again. My inbox full of questions, groans, and anxiety.
It's Fountas and Pinnell Benchmarking time.
As the school literacy specialist, I am the gatekeeper, the spokesperson, the cheerleader. Little did I know that - among the many other facets of my role - this would be the source of a great deal of drama.
I try to move the situation down a few notches from DEFCON 3 without making this teacher feel like I'm patronizing her. "Have you asked the resource teacher if he borrowed it?" I suggest.
"I've looked in his room already," she replies.
Maybe we need to inject some humor, here. "I'm happy to initiate a manhunt for you! Theft is a common problem in this building. Are you missing a Level 1 kit or Level 2? That ought to narrow down the list of suspects," I say, attempting a cheeky grin. It's a too early in the morning for me to actually be charming.
She chuckles - thank God! - and says she'll double check around her room before we issue the search warrant. She leaves my room, and I turn back to my coffee and laptop. I consider doing some stretches to warm myself up for multiple trips up and down stairs carrying these boxes that weigh as much as a small child. As part of my role as gatekeeper, I facilitate sharing of boxes between classrooms.
Not five minutes later, the teacher pokes her head into my doorway again, smiling sheepishly. "It was on my floor, " she said, "under a pile of papers."
"Mystery solved!" I smiled back. "Guess I can delete the furious draft email I just typed up!"
It's that time of year again. My inbox full of questions, groans, and anxiety.
It's Fountas and Pinnell Benchmarking time.
As the school literacy specialist, I am the gatekeeper, the spokesperson, the cheerleader. Little did I know that - among the many other facets of my role - this would be the source of a great deal of drama.
I try to move the situation down a few notches from DEFCON 3 without making this teacher feel like I'm patronizing her. "Have you asked the resource teacher if he borrowed it?" I suggest.
"I've looked in his room already," she replies.
Maybe we need to inject some humor, here. "I'm happy to initiate a manhunt for you! Theft is a common problem in this building. Are you missing a Level 1 kit or Level 2? That ought to narrow down the list of suspects," I say, attempting a cheeky grin. It's a too early in the morning for me to actually be charming.
She chuckles - thank God! - and says she'll double check around her room before we issue the search warrant. She leaves my room, and I turn back to my coffee and laptop. I consider doing some stretches to warm myself up for multiple trips up and down stairs carrying these boxes that weigh as much as a small child. As part of my role as gatekeeper, I facilitate sharing of boxes between classrooms.
Not five minutes later, the teacher pokes her head into my doorway again, smiling sheepishly. "It was on my floor, " she said, "under a pile of papers."
"Mystery solved!" I smiled back. "Guess I can delete the furious draft email I just typed up!"
"Laughter shall crown the raucous shout; and, though these shelt'ring walls are thin, may they be strong enough to keep hate out and hold love in." Louis Untermeyer
ReplyDeleteThanks for the humorous reminder this morning.
This brought me a good laugh! I'm glad the furious draft email remained a draft.
ReplyDeleteI’m impressed! It’s not easy to pull off that cheeky grin, but you did it! And your writing recreated the humor, another thing that’s not easy.
ReplyDeleteYour slice title was a gatekeeper, admitting me to the wry humor throughout this piece of writing. I hope your wish comes true.
ReplyDelete