Just another Manic Monday (whoa-ah oh)!

I started getting sick Thursday night and when I woke up Friday I felt horrible. Since it isn't unusual to feel horrible at 4:30 am (for me anyway) I didn't realize how sick I actually was until I got to school and the air conditioner was still not working (for the past week and a half it has only worked half of the time). There is nothing worse than having a cold in hot (unair-conditioned weather) or so I thought. Then my first class, noticing I wasn't quite as aware as I normally am, decided to break out in a paper wad fight! This was the first time that (a) I really lost control of my class and (b) that I lost my temper with my class. I am not sure what I said and/or if I screamed it but I am sure it was not nice because they got deathly quiet while I went on a rampage of some sort (the combination of the heat, sleep depravation, mild food depravation, Advil Cold and Sinus and anger is not good). I really feel bad because I have been trying very hard not to loose my temper with them.
Since I didn't feel well enough to drive two hours Friday night and since James had to work Saturday we staid in Clarksdale Friday night. I went to sleep as soon as I got home. I woke up early Saturday morning still sick but feeling 100 times better than I did Friday. I then drove to Oxford for my 8:30 class. My classes seem like they are going to be interesting. It made me feel better to hear how Eric is doing with his middle school administration and students. I do admit that after listening to peoples' stories I am a little bit jealous of those who are teaching high school. They aren't having nearly as many discipline problems as those of us that are teaching middle school. However, I firmly believe that there is a reason for everything and I would not have been placed where I was if there is not a reason or purpose.
I have just quit searching for a purpose in the things I am told to do. Everyday is a crazy day, but I am starting to feel like it is a game I can win even if I have to play by their rules. That is a good feeling! I am trying to hold onto it and let my competitive nature take over. Today, for example, the assistant principal came into my second class and said get your stuff together you need to leave for a staff development meeting that we forgot to tell you about that is already in progress. Thus EVY and myself (somehow being the only two affected by this development), drop everything we are doing and jump in the car to drive to arrive at a meeting about 30 minutes late. The staff development meeting was very beneficial, but I was trying to get my students ready for a unit test on nouns this Friday and showing them their averages so they can get it in gear before this first progress report. So now half of my students are a day behind the others, depending on what happened after I left—which I am assuming isn't much—and their unit test is days away.