Another week bites the dust...

So, I have not yet take the photo of my classroom. I'll make it a point to do so this week, though it gets to hectic there, I'll probably forget, but I will try! So this week was pretty decent. Classes went well, although I think they're a bit too formulaic and I want to mix things up a little and make class more interesting for my students. It is tough because there are so many of them and they have so many different needs. I am learning though and working through it. I don't want my students to suffer academically because of my newness. So, although most everything is fine and dandy at school, there are definitely issues there which need to be addressed. For example, on Friday, one of my students came to see me because she was out sick and missed several days of work. She wanted the make-up work and she completed it in class right then. We were going to have her also watch the film we'd been watching in class, "Surviving the Game," but the DVD player did not want to work. So she just kind of sat there with me and talked. She told me about her family and how they do not encourage her, etc. She sat there for most of the 80 minute block and when the bell rang, she got up and left but not before she said, "Thanks" to me and gave me a hug. Hmmm. It was kind of strange because she comes across as not an overly demonstrative kid. I immediately checked on my stuff where I had placed it in preparation to leave school. My cell phone was gone. Nice... you have a heart to heart with a student and she robs you blind... well not quite blind. She'd told me her life story in the conversation we'd just had, so I called her mom and told her the story. I gave the kid a way out so she would be more likely to confess and give the phone back. Lo and behold, when I called back to see what was going on - she'd been caught with the phone and I told them I'd collect it on Saturday. Ugh. I met the family on Saturday. They seem like decent, hard-working people. The girl could hardly look at me, but she did remind me in front of her parents that I'd promised to let her finish the movie during block 4 on Monday. Yes, of course. I did get my phone back, but she is going to have some extra work to do in class for sure.