Let's get organized

When I left school 13 hours ago, rumors were beginning to circulate about what interruptions today's schedule would hold.

I arrived shortly after the assistant principal this morning. Asked what today would look like.

He doesn't know.

The principal may not be coming in. But he might have sent an e-mail about what he wants us to do.

Just needed to share that somewhere.

Post for MM

I don't do videos. Not usually at least. But after hours and hours of grading (yes, it is Saturday night) I took a break over at Freerice, clicked on an ad, and decided to let you see my favorite of the HungerBytes videos.



And with that, dear friends, sleep well. It's 12 til midnight and I'm going to bed. So much for not working tomorrow....

After School

She has her name tattooed on her arm.

I met her an hour ago as we walked down the hall. Her friend came in for tutoring. She was going...somewhere.

"Oh, come on. I can help you too."

"I'm not even a student here." I give her a look. "I go to the alternative school."

And so she's spent an hour watching me babble about fractions. Her friend's on a bathroom break while I check two problems. I show her the mistakes that I'd warned against. Just trying to make conversation.

"Do you teach ninth graders too?"

"Yeah. I have students in ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade."

She asks if I teach this guy. Turns out he's her boyfriend. They met five months ago, and started dating almost immediately.

Apparently their relationship is going through some rough times.

She doesn't want to talk about it. Doesn't want to cry like she always does when she thinks about it. Without my asking, she tells me anyway.

She lost the baby.

It was a miscarriage.

He blames her for it.

And the worst part is, he was so mad he told her he hated her.

I reassure her the miscarriage was not her fault. I say it must be traumatic.

I don't know that I approve of her relationship, but I don't tell her that. I tell her that she needs to make sure that he gets over the hate before she faces him again. She reassures me that they're past that point already.

I'm not a marriage counselor. I've only had one boyfriend. We broke up after he sent me the "Check yes or no" note. Love was too strong a commitment for this second grader.

Her friend returns. Her shifts awkwardly conveying the message. This conversation is over. I tell them that my relationship advice is consistent: communication is key.

We laugh and it's back to practicing fractions with her friend.

I look back at her in wonder. She has the tough demeanor, tougher than most of my students. To tell your story to an almost stranger though, that kind of vulnerability takes courage beyond belief.

Sunday morning breakfast

I've come down with a cold. It's not miserable yet, but my throat's sore and my breath's gone rotten.

I'm not normally an oatmeal for breakfast person, but this morning decided that the warm softness of oatmeal was exactly what my body wanted. (Especially since they recommend staying away from dairy product when you have a cold.)

I didn't think we had raisins, so I browsed the internet for some inspiration while my water boiled.

Ended up playing with Chocolate Oatmeal with some hints from Creme Brulee Oatmeal. Added brown sugar, coco powder, little bit of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg to my oatmeal as it was setting. Topped it off with frozen raspberries. Another day, I might add a few pecans to it. But for now, it's just about perfect.

It might actually get me to like oatmeal.

Homecoming week means not so much planning

Wind. Lightening. Open sky.

It was a weird drive home. Hauntingly gorgeous. Made surreal by the lack of rain and thunder. Like you were in a movie theater but the music was cut off to indicate that something truly major is just about to happen.

Resisting the urge to pull over, I turned on some calming music. And my nightowl housemate was in bed before I made it home.

I'm adjusting

Mom commented tonight about how I'm coping better than a year ago. Things that used to drive me crazy are just par for the course. It's homecoming week, so we have more chaos than usual.

When the egg toss is scheduled for lunch on Tuesday instead of during the field day on Thursday, I've learned not to question too much. Only to wonder how late we'll be to 5th period. And when it's announced that we'll report to 5th period and then be called out for the toss, I managed to have students get started on their warm-up journals. Kept going with the work until we were called out. We left. I was skeptical that we'd come back (40 minutes left in class, but you know how long an egg toss can take...), but was ready to go when we did.

I don't like it. It's still frustrating. (I won't see those kids for the rest of the week.) But my expectations for the school (and myself?) are lowered to a point where I can take some time off and return to sanity.

Big words don't always make you sound smart, but they might make me smile

The question:
"The symmetric property of equality says that if a=b, then b=a. How does this relate to what you know of symmetry?"

The student's answer:
a=b and b=a are the same in a retrospective way in that of they are reversed

Root for the home team

When I went to football games last year, I found a couple of younger teachers and sat there for the game.

Not tonight.

I mean, I started off that way. But then a couple who I met on my walk home from the post office last week walked by and invited me to sit with them. "Hey, I remember you! What are you making?" (A throw.) "That's real pretty. We're going to sit up there. Why don't you come with us?"

So I did. And chatted with them. He, especially, commented about how so many people don't stay here long because they feel isolated. "Here's our cell phone number. Call us."

They left. I was sitting next to a different group of teachers. Then waved to the admin office secretary and the custodian who cleans my room. So I joined them for a bit. Another teacher came by. (Yes, it is a school.) And then one of my students came up.

I think she wants attention. Realize this is stating the obvious, not a major realization. A ninth-grader coming up to two of her teachers during the football game. And talking to one of them for the entire second half. (Complete with moving to a new seat location after she went to buy a snack.) I feel like I could relate to her almost too much. This is another new school for her. She's smart, in addition to being ahead of her classes. She's independent. She likes to redecorate her pants and be crafty. I'm worried for her. Partly because high school was often miserable for me. Partly because I worry for all the students here. Partly because she just seems so desperate for attention so early in the year. I'm not sure how much I can give her, but I hope things like tonight help make some sort of difference. I hope the little bits add up.

We lost the game, but I still feel like it was a worthwhile night out.

Quote to remember

I would prefer, because of coaching, to do it (tech training) during the school day. So we'll take some time off to do it. If nothing else I will flat-out cancel a day of school.

~From my superintendent during a meeting regarding training teachers on how to maintain the school website

If you were here...

I'd invite you over for dinner. I'm starting Monday night pizza this year. Monday's are hard, so having the social activity then seems important. And I'm excited that we have better community among teachers in my program and my town this year. I mean, the third years are already more familar to the first years than they were to me last year. (I realize this paragraph is grammatically awkward in ways that would be clearer if I'd just use locations/acronyms/whatever. Too bad.)

I'd have you play in the rain with me. I've been back for 4 weeks and this was only the second precipitation I can remember. The first was a hail storm in the middle of the night.

I'd ask you for a hug. Just because it's already that wearing some days. Not sure where I'm finding my motivation. And that's problematic.

And then I'd bid you goodnight. Because it's nearly midnight and I have a full day of school tomorrow. Eeep.

My shirt is not yellow!

I just made a batch of mustard, so this is an accomplishment. I'd never made Nana's mustard before, my sister always helps out, but my taste so far seems right on target. (Even though for some reason I decided to use brown sugar instead of normal sugar.)

It's quick and easy, so I'm including the recipe for anyone adventurous enough to try it. It has a bit of a kick, so not recommended if you don't like a bit of spice.

Nana's Sweet-Sour Mustard

Mix: 1/4 c. ground mustard
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
Dash of salt

Heat to boiling (I just microwaved it): About 1/3 c. brown vinegar

Stir in enough vinegar into dry ingredients to right consistency.

Add: 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

Let season one day to develop flavor.

Note: Turmeric is a strong yellow dye, so be careful about getting it on your clothes.