Brr. It's cold in here. There must be some fourth grade teachers in the atmosphere.

Here in Texas, it is a toasty 105 degrees outside. But in my little fourth grade world, it's a chilly 37.4 degrees.

I am getting the cold shoulder. Purposely ignored. Refusal of eye contact, only making the situation more awkward.

I know why she's mad at me. I knew yesterday why she felt wronged by me, and I suspected this was how today would go. I wanted to ask if she was feeling any better, and if anything had been resolved, but that's not an option right now.

For the most part, I refuse to engage in the childish behavior. This is her problem. I chose to act the way I did for a reason. She was not the only one blindsided in the hallway.  And by the end of the day yesterday, she was not the only one that felt attacked.

When I left my classroom right after the bell rang, I did not know I was going into battle in a few minutes, so I was not prepared to stand up and defend her. And I didn't back her up. I refused to take sides in the middle of the hallway with parents and lots of students all around me.

And I will not choose sides, because I am not playing kickball. I am doing a job and working with people I like, 99% of whom are women. No one said it would be easy, and those who think it will are sadly mistaken. It is messy. And sometimes, just sometimes, I get tired of being the voice of reason.