the week that was

i just want them to be happy and to have a good week. is that too much to ask?
but life at home for most of my kids is in constant turmoil and that spills over into the classroom.
a little brother who has a chipped tooth from a "pop" in the mouth by his dad because he wasn't eating his dinner fast enough.
an accusation of child abuse.
explosive anger that cannot be contained in a child's mind.
an intolerant parent whose lack of compassion for one of her daughter's classmates knows no bounds, nor does her lack of communication etiquette.

the exhaustion of a little boy who waited at his mommy's until 11pm for his granny to pick him up because a custody order is more important than sleep.
a little boy lost in the blur of his medication. starving himself on med days and and gorging on non-med days.
a little boy who does not know if he's moving or not. and who didn't show up on friday.
balanced by the compassion of 7 year olds for a classmate's sadness and anger.
balanced by a hug from one friend to another in a study in empathy.

balanced by a "love" letter from a little one to her teacher.
balanced by the exuberant bouncing and gleeful laugh of a little boy during the showing of a movie about a beautiful horse.
a very good week indeed.