Isn't It Ironic

As I begin my third week of teaching, I feel just as lost as I did on the first day but much more tired at the same time. The highlight of this past weekend was attending St. Bartholomew's on Park and 50th Street and more or less committing myself to attending church there and finding out about joining the choir. The lowlight was purchasing a new phone to replace the one that I so responsibly dropped and broke on Friday night. Teacher learns expensive lesson (irony number one).
Today was more frustrating than most. But at the same time, I found many instances extremely ironic and almost laughable. For instance, in beginning ESL I actually had a child come up to me on his knees begging me to let him go to the bathroom. "Maestra, por favor. Tengo que ir al pee pee. Por favor." Yes, eventually I did let him go. Later I became the translator for to fireman who, for some reason unknown to me, had shown up to give a fire lesson in my closet-sized classroom between the third and fourth floors (talk about a fire hazard). It was funny to hear the firemen say, "lighter, matches, no toys" and me say, "estas cosas, no se juega." (Think caveman meets Smokey the Bear). Even these two older, distinguished firemen could not get this class to stop talking and listen.
Then I headed to advanced ESL and crashed and burned with a lesson that involved too much writing. I actually had to tell all the kids to sit down several times because they were out of their seats and trying desperately to copy the notes that I had written too small. (Think kids trying to learn and me yelling trying to stop them from doing just that - at least that's what it looked like.)
Back at the apartment, I turned my fan on to cool off my rather warm bedroom and, even though it still oscillates quite nicely, there is no air coming from it any longer. Finally, I have found my much needed escape lately in a good book. I am currently reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, a disturbing, futuristic, feminist novel. Its poetic prose and reflective narration have given me hope that there is more to think about in life than who to send to the bathroom next. Reading such a rich text ironically motivates me to be the best teacher I can be. It is my desire that, one day, my students may be able to enjoy great books in the same way that I do today.