Welcome to Bedlam

I may not be a genius at classroom management, but I am able to have 9 three year olds, including 7 who have special needs, walk in a line down the hallway using a guide rope (ok, so two roll). I can have 8 of them sit at circle time for as long as I want to keep them there - 1 wanders away and 1 will wander but sits each time I request so he counts with the 8. I can have them all follow my directions to open the door to outside and sit on the stairs, within visual distance of the playground, until I have reached the bottom of the ramp and signal them to join me. So why oh why is my class a disaster of total chaos and destruction when I release them to center play? Because for center play I am not in control, that falls under the domain of my "assistant". I may end up getting myself fired before the school year is over. If there is one thing that tap dances on my nerves more than just about anything else on earth (besides the obvious ones of prejudice and discrimination and calling me honey/dear/sweetheart) it is complete incompetence. The assistant that the school in their infinite wisdom hired this year to work with two classes of preschoolers who have developmental delays and disabilities has apparently never before seen a child. She is not only lacking in the skills of an assistant - how to work with groups of children, how to do crowd control, how to engage children in play that is both fun and educational, how to redirect undesired behavior- but in basic survial skills. How many times does one need to be reminded not to leave a child unattended on a changing table? I mistakenly though that was a one shot lesson. And who on earth would put on gloves to change a diaper and then use those same gloved hands to touch a child's lunch? After I gagged I quickly removed that portion of the lunch for a better location - the trash can. Today one of my little ones was screaming for an extended period of time for an unknown reason, possibly because it was the child's third day of school and the room was in chaos and the child has no means of communicating anything to us. I found that after 45 minutes of screaming my assistant is ready to do anything to get rid of the child, includng insisting that a perfectly healthy child is sick and must be sent home. Um, anyone would be sweaty and red in the face after screaming for 45 minutes. Try it sometime and see for yourself. So I am beginning to wonder if children are just a little too complex for her and we need to back up and begin with something a little simpler. Perhaps we should start with a houseplant and work our way up. In all honesty I bite my tongue so many times a day and usually at least once a day something slides right on out that probably should not have because I am so frustrated. I want to be the absolute best teacher possible for my little ones and instead of having an assistant I feel like I have another child. At least I don't have to change her diaper. I guess I should be thankful for that! But otherwise, I am basically teaching 7 children with special needs and 2 (soon to be 3) inclusion peers solo. Welcome to Bedlam where we literally climb the walls!! Hell, soon I may surrender and join them as we climb the walls and paint the floor! Hee Hee, Haa Haa, Ho Ho, Hooo Hooo!