Who is in charge around here?

The events of my kindergarten classroom would definitely make a good case for the monkeys running the zoo. Two pee-ings, one pooping, one napping, two terrible temper tantrums, one lost-and-then-thankfully-found-by-the-Grace-of-God, and 22 children running rampant over my clearly-not-suited--for-the-teaching-profession body.

We have only been in school for 7 days.

For some reason the powers-that-be decided that there would be two distinctly different classrooms: one classroom run by a 15 year veteran kindergarten teacher has 21 kids. All 21 of those children attended our school for preschool, their parents are known to the teacher and help out on a daily basis, and they have a young, energetic, 31 year-old teacher's aide who is herself a mom and understands this age group.

Then there is my class: a ragtag group of 22 kids, none of whom attended the same school for preschool, many of whom didn't attend preschool, being schooled by an unlicensed-zero-years-experience "teacher" with the help of an 87 year-old-distinctly-not-energetic-retired-nun.

Is anyone surprised that things are a little...difficult?

The classroom itself was being used as a storage room up until 5 days before school started. Our school has no air conditioning but my classroom has the distinction of having no fans either. It's really a treat for 22 five-year-olds to be stifling away in wool blend pants and jumpers for 6.5 hours a day in a too-small room with no fans. A treat, I tell you.

I like kids. I like being in the classroom. Of course I always figured a classroom to be a place with books, manipulatives, some toys for quiet time and rainy days, a chalkboard or white board, and, for kindergartners at least, some "centers" where they can free explore. My classroom had none of those things. I brought in my daughter's very own carefully saved-loved-and-preserved children's book and I cast a fearful eye toward the bookshelf every day as I see my kindermonsters, um, gartners eagerly handling them. I brought in my own begged, borrowed, and bought toys. I brought in my own white board and manipulatives! Am I teaching in a well-to-do private school or a third world country?

Full day kindergarten. Six and one half hours of "education" for children who were in diapers 2 years ago. It's a crime against our children. It's a crime against our society.

And it's definitely a crime against substitute teachers!