Everybody Hurts

Chapter 6

 Sam dropped her head into her hands, sitting at her desk in her classroom. She'd just dismissed the kids after having felt like the end would never come. The day had been so long and she was exhausted but she just needed a moment of solitude and quiet before she headed home. She needed just a minute of peace before she trekked out on her bike amid all the chaos of people and vehicles in their hectic scramble to get home after work.

It had been one of those days where everything that could go wrong just did. Johnny would not stop talking all day. Maddie called him annoying during writing time when she was trying to focus so he threw his pencil at her which missed its mark and hit Brodie. Brodie in turn threw an eraser at Johnny and then they were yelling at each other across the room. She'd had to calm the situation down, speaking to both boys about using their kind words and soft voices, but the chaos hadn't ended there.

Gracie skinned her knee at recess and was a dramatic mess, acting as if she'd just suffered a horrible trauma. She insisted that she couldn't walk so Sam had to carry her into the nurse and the girl was not exactly small. Gracie was one of the tallest kids in her room. She was surprised her back had handled it as well as it did. Hauling around a third grader was quite different from a first grader.

Lance had been picking on Charlie again, this time about his long hair. The boy had hidden behind a tree to try to keep his tears from view of the others. Sam had spoken to Lance about how his words made Charlie feel but that kid was difficult to reach. No matter what she tried, he didn't seem to think anything was wrong with his behavior. Quite the opposite actually. He often looked proud of himself. Unfortunately, she had a feeling that was coming from home. His dad was quite the piece of work who also never saw anything wrong with his son being mean no matter how many times she'd called him or asked to speak to him after school.

She'd dropped a piece of lettuce from her salad on her shirt during lunch and now there was a bright orange stain from the salad dressing. A bee had gotten into the class in the afternoon, creating absolute pandemonium as all the kids screamed and ran to the far corner of the room, swatting and jumping. In the midst of her racing around, trying to catch the bee so she could release it outside, her principal had walked in to have her sign some paperwork, observing her completely out of control class. He'd simply raised his eyebrows at her as she tried to explain about the stinging insect that had sent her class into a panic.

She could not wait to go home, put on her sweats, pour a glass of wine, and curl up on the couch. Sam grabbed her bag, stuffing the paragraphs the class had been working on for the last two weeks inside to grade later while watching some mind-numbing thing on television that wouldn't require too much of her focus. Heading out of the room, she locked the classroom door behind her, taking a deep breath, reminding herself that she had a whole blissful evening of nothing ahead of her before she had to do it all over again.

"Rough day?" asked her colleague, Leslie as she locked her own classroom door that was right next to Sam's.

The woman had been a godsend when she'd started at Hawkins, helping her navigate third grade, something she hadn't taught yet. Sam had been nervous taking on a grade level she didn't know, in a building where she didn't know anybody, but Leslie had stepped right up, offering her assistance as a teacher as well as a friend.

"Is it that obvious?" she laughed, hefting her bag up higher on her shoulder.

"Oh, I know that look on your face very well. I think every teacher knows that look well because we've all looked like that," Leslie answered, walking alongside her as they headed out the side door to the parking lot. "You look like a glass of wine and possibly a nice, long bubble bath is in your very near future."

"Something like that."

"You do what you have to. Self-care is so important in this job if you don't want to burn out. Have a good night. Tomorrow's a new day!" Leslie called with as much positivity as she could muster and a wave over her shoulder as she headed for her car.