School Closure Craziness.

        I feel like I need to write about this past week, because when I look back on my student teaching experience, I want to laugh as I remember how crazy it was! Last week I had exactly one normal, full day of school. Our unexpected holiday was first the result of some really bad weather. On Monday, I was taking the day off anyway because Joel and I went to Meridian for the weekend. I'm glad I was absent anyway, because when I got home I heard stories about how the stormy weather had caused the electricity to go out in first hour, they evacuated all the students to the gym, and some of the students weren't able to get home because of flooding. Sounds like craziness! I was glad I'd missed it, camping out with first hour then cramming all of Carencro High into a crowded gym for a whole day doesn't sound like much fun. Then, because of the flooding, school was cancelled on Tuesday (which turned out to be a GREAT thing, because I was running a fever and feeling awful.) So I took advantage of the holiday/sick day and got some rest. Wednesday we went back to school but it was nearly impossible to teach because the students were still so riled up after the crazy week they'd been having. I was also not feeling completely well yet, but I at least took enough medicine to get through the day.
      Thursday, about 30% of the teachers were taking personal days to go to the capital to protest the new legislation regarding public schools that our governor is trying to pass. Because of this, students were told on Wednesday that if they missed school on Thursday it would be considered an excused absence. Naturally, only a very few students actually went. Coach took the day off, so I did too. (Sitting in with a sub and three students per period just didn't sound like fun.)
     So Friday, I was expecting to spend the day fighting all the crazniess and trying to keep my students focused so that we could at least do SOMETHING productive. That morning, I woke up feeling as sick as I had Tuesday. I took some medicine and tried to stick it out, but I had no energy and no voice, and was struggling to keep myself up. Coach noticed this, and after watching me struggle for three periods, he finally said, "Lindsay, go home." I was thankful... I went home and immediately went back to bed. It was such a strange week.
     So Monday came around again. I was feeling better and woke up actually excited to get back to a week of normalcy. HAH. Monday and today were normal, and we were actually able to get a lot done! Coach told me that on Friday when my students from 4th and 5th period came in, they asked, "Where's Ms. Cornwell?" and when he told them I'd gone home, they were like, "Aw man!" It made me feel really good. :) Today, while it was a mostly "normal" day, class felt more like group therapy, especially in third hour. They're all about relating the book to their own lives, which is a great skill. But today it was like, personal life over-share for the entire class! I feel like we have a really strong sense of class community, so I can't complain... But it was still funny! And the week is only getting crazier... School is closed tomorrow AGAIN because of more bad weather.

     It's crazy how much I've come to care about the town of Carencro and its students in such a short time. When I heard of the flooding my heart really went out to the families... This picture was taken just a few miles from my school. I honestly couldn't be excited for the day off, because I knew that it meant some of my students would have water in the homes (a feeling I know all too well). Then today when I heard more bad weather was on the way, my heart dropped out of fear and dread for the families who are still recovering from last week. I'll definitely be praying for the families of Carencro.