tomas brought in a cold front when it sideswiped us and from this the weather has gotten pleasantly cooler. this weekend has been nothing short of sublime, chilly enough at night for a sweatshirt. also because of this sudden change from hot to cold i think i may be picking up a cold. i feel the stuffiness settling in. this past week i have also felt the effects one begins to feel during burn out, exhaustion. marie and i have been beside ourselves this school year. the uprising grade 5 students and influx of students into the grade 6 gsat class have left us very stressed and nearing the end of our ropes… they have zero behavior, no respect for authority, and refuse to cooperate, instead they prefer to distract the class, cause commotion and mouth off. we’ve both been struggling, taking turns between the two classes, trying to remain sane. last year was my first year teaching and though i was coming in without training or a foundation in teaching, i managed just fine, my students were some of the best behaved children i’ve ever met… i just figured that was a given, but little did i know. the school days have become exhausting and by the end of the day i’m weary and ready to drop.. which at about 7/8 pm i do just that. i’ve addressed the issues with my principle and fellow teachers and all of them are in complete agreement that something needs to be done with these children. they have lectured them till blue in the face about having some respect and about changing their attitudes. i voiced that i might have to take a break from grade 6, move to another class, doing something else in the school, or even start taking on other schools again, just to keep my sanity. they are supporting me in any endeavor i wish to pursue, though they don’t want me to leave, they understand. i don’t know what to do. marie and i have been dealing with this behavioral issue from day one and it has just progressed and gotten out of control. some community members have noticed and have suggested a meeting between the school and the parents… a lot of these students come from good families and i’m sure if their parents knew how they were behaving they would be furious. we’ll see how this all plays out. till then i’m just trying to stay awake and sane.