Longest Week Ever

I knew it was bad when I went to bad last night realizing that I completely dropped the ball! I forgot I had an IEP at 10 AM this morning!!

This week has been a really long one. In short, I'm being transferred next week to another district. I have been stressing so much that it's ridiculous. I know I just need to go through my motions and once I'm in there doing my thing, it'll be okay.

I am also experiencing the worst separation anxiety. I've been fighting tears all week, thinking about how I won't get to work with my kiddos any more. My boss at least let me keep my County Autism kids.

Today, I saw a bunch of my kids to tell them the sad news. I, of course, had to see DA and CV. I couldn't believe how hard I kept fighting back tears. It's just that I've seen them make soOooO much progress, and it took a lot of trust and time to establish rapport. When they came in, we worked a little bit. They clowned around like usual, but I let them be b/c they really made me laugh, which I totally needed.

At one point, DA said to CV, "Have you been to ___.com?"

CV: No, but have you been to ____.com?
Me: You guys better not be talking about any bad websites.
CV: Hey [CV] Have you seen "Girls Gone Wild"?
Me: Hey! None of that in here!
CV: [CV] Have you seen Ms. L___ on You Tube? It's called, "Ms. L-- Gets Mad."

I was busting up! They are quick, man. Later, CV saw me reaching under the table from my cart but I kept my hands under the table so they could see what I was doing. CV said, "Ooh, Ms. L--, you better not be texting."

Which I totally was. Dang. Bad example. Of course I totally denied it, though. I swear I fit in so well with these 14 y/o.

During the last 5 minutes, I broke the news that I was leaving. They were soOOoo funny. Both immediately protested and said I was lying (First Stage of Grief: Denial). I told them I wasn't so then they got angry (Second Stage of Grief: Anger), and said they weren't coming to speech any more. LOL I was like, um, you have no choice!

I broke the news to my other SDC kiddos and they were so cute. They protested, too, and said, "What! But you're so nice! No! We don't want somebody else!"

This transition has been one of the hardest things for me b/c of what I will be going into, but through it all, I've been so appreciative of all the support and encouragement I've received from colleagues and my kiddos. It's especially nice to realize that my kiddos actually like me. I will miss them so much. I promised them I'd come back for their graduation. They are, after all, my kids. ;)