...it could've been worse.

Well, I left you with the kiln chaos that was the circuit breaker.
But it only gets better from there.

I did a second load, crossed my fingers that the power would last and....came back the next morning to a kiln full of rubbish: aka, destroyed beyond destroyed pottery at a tint of brown that shouldn't be the color of the clay...right. As I stand there, in tears - my school mentor comes in to assess the damage. Now it's my turn to explain to the students that A) one pot exploded and B) that same pot aimed and fired at every single pot around it. That was fun. It started lightly and most kids were understanding until I hit one of my better students who was d-e-v-e-s-t-a-t-e-d. Completely shattered. And I know this feeling. In third grade, I had a pot and it exploded and I was crushed. I assured her everything would be okay and figured out who and when people would be able to come in and remake their pot. Ugh.

Okay so I reload the kiln. It ran fine, right? I cross my fingers, the kids cross their fingers, and I get noooo sleep. I come back to a school where the power is on, that's good. I open the kiln and there are no broken pieces, okay also good. I look at the display on the kiln and I see in big green scary mean letters "ERRORONE" blinking at me ferociously. As I slumped down, not crying because I was too exhausted I knew I had to go from there. I found the manual and read through the errors. My school mentor came in to see if today was any better and consulted the manual with me. We found the error - something about the temperature not reading right.

So I called the high school ceramics teacher, told him the timeline, that I was firing Buff Stoneware Cone 6, and that I didn't know how to proceed. And he just kind've paused and said, "Why are you firing Stoneware?" and I said, "Well, it's what was left from last year and what the last teacher told me to order because it's what she did and what she fired in this kiln and what do you mean why am I firing Stoneware?" He explained that Stoneware fires at Cone 6-10 (this I knew) and that my Automatic Electric kiln, while it can be programed to Cone 6 under a very large power source (which it is not hooked up to) it should never run that high because it is built for Cone 5 and below. It allllllll comes together. My predecessor ordered Stoneware because her husband who taught at the high school with a high fire kiln ordered Stoneware and fired it in the kiln we have because she just assumed it would work (can't blame her if it did). I found out from other teachers that she had mishaps with her clay, would get error messages, and would have funny colored clay but she just brushed it off because she assumed it just happened.

Soooo, with the advice of the high school teacher I called the company that made the kiln and he pretty much said the same thing - and that she was merely lucky that it didn't break. That it was fine, however I should not fire anymore stoneware. I had three options. Buy new clay. Upgrade my kiln for lots of money. Or not have a ceramics unit.

From there I consulted my principal, who said option 1 was the best idea. That we would sell the clay to the high school - whether they could afford it this year or next, it would even out in the end. And I would then order new clay -- earthenware that fires at a much lower cone.

Annnnd I have to bring the unfired stoneware projects to the high school to fire because I don't want the kids to have to redo them. The high school is going to buy the clay I have - the years worth supply of it, which is nice. And the high school ceramics teacher has been great. My principal, totally understanding.

I learned how to use my resources, not panic, use this as a teachable moment and you know what - my kids are fine with it, the one girl calmed down and I pulled her in during passing period and showed her that I could bring her back up to speed with the clay if she was short on time. Not one of my practices, that I help to that extent, but this was a situation where she put her heart into that project, did nothing wrong, and I wanted to do what I could. She looked at me, and with a huge smile, said "Miss Jorgensen, I appreciate your help but I really have enjoyed this year because you do make us do our projects and I was so upset because I had put work into it and it broke. But I'm glad that I did the work, and it's my creation and I didn't need your help. So thanks, but it's okay - I'll remake it." And you know what - through all this resource using, thinking on my feet...that was the reward. Knowing that the kids are continually loving and embracing their artwork and their own creativity.

And while I have to return and reorder clay which costs money, and make trips to fire clay which takes time....I still have rewards coming in. I still love what I do. Oh and like it says up above - I'm still learning! :)