Crying At School

No crying in front of the children.

Period.

Unless you have cut your arm off and are going to need an ambulance, do not do it in front of the children.

Most students do not understand that it is due to stress, frustration or anger. They just think you’re losing it. Then you will lose them.

Cry in your car, after school, in the bathroom, in your principal’s office. Heck, we all stress out about work, just don’t do it in front of kids.

I remember my first year in the classroom teaching First Grade, and I thought it would be a great idea to have an “Ocean Day” to wrap-up our unit study.

I sent home notes asking each child to bring in one small, non-breakable ocean item to discuss. I was so excited to celebrate “Ocean Day”! Then the day finally came and the kids were bringing in stuffed toys, photos, and all types of great things.

Then, it got bad. One of my children brought in a giant, glass statue of a dolphin. Before she even made it to my room she dropped it in the hallway and it shattered into about 7,000 pieces. Every teacher in the hall went running out to see what had happened.

I had to call the janitor’s to clean it up, I had to call her mom (who proceeded to scream at me for letting her break it), and I had to get the rest of my class back under control. I was feeling stress big-time.

But the worst wasn’t over. I was working in a Catholic school, and with all the commotion; I forgot to take my children to Mass, a big no-no. So, my class and I tiptoed into the back of Church and settled in.

After Mass, my principal came and asked why we were so late, and I started to tell her, and I started weeping, and I started to shake. The whole time my class was watching and they were worried! They didn’t understand. That was the day I decided to not cry in front of the kids any more.

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