Emotionally spend, and yet...

Today was another one of those days. A day when you and your fellow teachers try your best to be in all places, have your eyes on all problems, positively impact all children. But somehow, somewhere, you feel like you failed. It doesn't happen often, but there are times when you see an email in your in-box from a parent and you think, "Oh, crap." We got one today from a parent whose three-year old has been saying he no longer wants to come to school because he is being hit by another child. And so we scramble - to address their concerns, to check in with other teachers to learn what they've witnessed, to bring administration into the loop, and to also respect the fine line of confidentiality that we owe to the other parents who are working with us on these issues with their son. We have to find the right words to say, "We hear what you're saying, we're taking precautions, and....we can't tell you more." It's hard. Today I wanted to hand the ball to someone else and say, can you please carry this load for me? I have invested way too much time, energy and tears on this child, and I don't have anything more I can give. At least not today, not this week, not right now. But I'm a teacher - I can't shift responsibility to someone else. Fortunately, there was one glimmer of humor in the day. After calling the concerned mom this afternoon to tell her we take her concerns seriously, she mentioned her son was also saying unusual things she'd never heard before. I cringed, as I knew part two of the issues we're addressing with this impulsive and physically aggressive child relate to verbal statements that range from telling others they're stupid to violent wording about cutting off people's heads. I waited for whatever offending phrase was about to come from this mother that would send chills down my spine. Instead, she said, "Yesterday, Daniel came home and told his little brother, 'You're behaving just like Hugh Hefner!' " I burst into laughter. Hugh Hefner?! I wouldn't even use a reference to him, and I at least know who he is! The mom and I agreed that, under the circumstances, we would give the offending comment a pass. Who would have thought that the founder and publisher of Playboy would make his way into my preschool classroom, c. 2017?!