Lost
Teachers have fears.Some are little. Being late to school. Forgetting your lunch. Locking your keys INSIDE the filing cabinet. Forgetting a parent's name.
Some are HUGE. Car/bus accidents on a field trip. Losing your temper with a student. Illness in the classroom. Weapons. Disease. Injury. Abuse. Intruders. Abduction.
Today I lived out one of my worst fears.
This morning I took attendance with all students present and accounted for. Good. I began the morning routine of checking assignment notebooks, collecting homework, posting lunch count, and because this is our standardized testing week...I distributed test booklets and answer documents personally to each of my students.
As I began to quiet the class and go through morning announcements, I notice that one student has not returned to his desk. I assume that he is at his locker and continue on with announcements. When that task is completed I begin to go down the lengthy, scripted directions of the mandated test, irritation at his lengthy delay mounting.
I continue reciting my script while walking towards the door to hurry this young man out of the hallway. Glancing around I see that the hall is empty. He must be in the bathroom. I am annoyed that he did not ask for permission to go to the bathroom but I know that the strictness of the testing this week has confused more than one student into breaking our established routines. Still, it is odd that THIS particular student went without asking. He is the type of student who waits to say goodbye to me everyday so that I will personally dismiss him. I shrug off his behavior for a minute, complete the directions, and my class begins the first test of the morning.
I glance at the clock. It took five minutes to get the test started. He really should be back from the bathroom by now. I figure if I go down there now to check on him I will be able to get back before my fifth graders come to a question that they need my help with. So I rush to the restroom. No one is there.
I check the other bathroom. Empty.
I check the bathroom that the primary students are never supposed to use. Nope.
I go to the office, the book fair, the Library, computer lab, lunch room, and the talent show coordinator's room. No one has seen my student.
I run back to my classroom. Every head is bent dutifully over their desk. But there is still one desk empty. My principal is out of the building today. I speak with the secretary she continues to look and calls his parents. No answer.
I ask his friends if they know where he went. I check his assignment notebook, yep, there is my signature right next to his, so he was here this morning...I didn't just dream that up, or THINK that I saw him. He was just right here. And now no one can find him.
I tried to dream up explanations that would make sense. I checked my e-mail. No note from parents. I checked his file, no appointments scheduled. Is he hurt? Is he sick? Did he leave? Was he taken? Is he hiding?
I wrung my hands and prayed. Mostly just pleaded, "Please, God, help him be ok. Please. Please.Please.Please.Please" I didn't know what else to say.
Time crawled on. I answered trivial questions about word meanings and grammar rules. The office said wait and started to search the building room by room. Just as the police were called, my missing student returned...from a dental appointment.
You see, he is staying with his grandparents while his mom and dad are out of town (that's why they didn't answer their phones). No one thought to tell the school. They came to school this morning to drop off his sibling and he came into the classroom to unpack is book bag. That is when I checked for attendance, signed his notebook and gave him his test booklet. Then he left with his grandparent for the appointment. They didn't think to tell me, because they didn't think the day had officially started yet.
*HUGE sigh of relief*
I'm not even mad. I am just so glad that he is fine.
posted by Trisha @ 8:27 PM
