February Bulletin Board

told you it'd be infrequent

Stayed up making a puzzle with mom (again, seester) and watching the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games so . . . this is it. Revenge of the over-blogged. And it only took two days for me to get this way. Over-blogged. Pathetic really.

Did I mention that I didn't have school today? You hate me now, don't you?

Me and My Mom

There is a moment of truth in every one's life. This particular one has come to me at a time of change. A time of coming into my own as a person. Leaving the childhood of education behind and becoming an adult. And, in at least one way, becoming my mother. The epiphany occurred as follows:

A couple of weeks ago, a seventh grader wandered into my classroom for a chat. My own fifth and sixth graders were at a special (music, gym, art, etc.). After a few minutes of conversation, she complained of a sore, aching throat that had plagued her all day. Excited to be prepared for such an event, I stopped her from leaving and reached for my purse - I had cough drops! I was prepared for her malady and had the cure! This is unusual for me. But right in the midst of my elation, my mind collided with an unmovable thought - "I'm becoming my mother."

You know, the woman who carries everything except for the kitchen sink in her purse. Who you need only state your need to and she supplies it. I'm morphing from my old irresponsible self into a more alert, prepared being who's very preparedness led us as children to assume she either had eyes in the back of her head or was from outer space and had extra-sensory perception only dreamed of by humans.

So there I was, trapped by the reality that might shape the remainder of my existence - turning into my mother. And further perusal of my purse only confirmed it! First of all, the purse itself was no longer cute and small but instead the size of an overnight bag. The contents? A first-aid kit, an umbrella, mace, a planner, a Tide pen, a flashlight, comb, hairspray, hair creme, more pens than necessary - the list could go on but won't. And right now, you're laughing at me, because you - twenty or thirty something woman - could look into your purse right now and discover many of the same things. So you laugh at me for my overreaction. You laugh because you have not yet reached this moment of truth:

You have become your mother.

It's Snowing

Now that might seem obvious, but everyone's talking about it. It's the hot news! It's snowing.

You see, we happen to live a technologically advanced society. Which means we're so high tech that we can sit in the comfort of our homes and hear every major news station, local news stations, and weather channels (both "normal" or in high def) tell us that "it's snowing." You could look out your window and see the verification of this fact, but why? Why? when you can watch what your hometown's streets look like on the local news; you can track the storm's effects on other areas of your state and the country on national news and the Weather Channel.

Truly, this is the future! Ah, the bliss of hearing from a news anchor what we could ascertain for ourselves! "No one should be driving in this." Well, of course not, even I can see that the road is covered with snow. "It's a whiteout! We have zero-visibility!" Um, yeah, I can't see very far out into the neighborhood.

I'm so glad I watched the news today! I salute the reporters who are standing out in the snow because we won't. I salute the anchors in the newsroom for their patience as they will be repeating the same mundane information for the rest of the day while desperately trying to make it sound new and interesting. I salute the producers of the news channels for their commitment in transmitting to the American people what we would rather not discover for ourselves. And I salute you - weather news addict - who will keep your TV monitor on throughout the day so you can receive the latest update. Go you, American. It's the Dream - "life, liberty, and the pursuit" of worthless information!

About Four Months Later . . .

It is official - tomorrow is a snow day! So . . . I have no excuse not to post. However . . . today was not technically a snow day, therefore I do not have to write tonight. Which might beg the question, "Why then am I writing tonight?" And the answer is . . . that I'm not really sure, except for the guilt of not having posted for 4 months. That's pathetic really.

Almost as pathetic as a teacher who cannot seem to stop murdering class pets. On accident. Promise.

Almost as pathetic as a birthday dedicated to a dog.

Almost as pathetic as . . . not being able to come up with a 3rd "almost as pathetic as" which would have completed a clever sounding post.

Almost.

Morbidly Evil And Nasty (M.E.A.N.)

My brother wrote this and I just loved it!

"Today is my favorite day of the week. Why, just its frequency makes it appealing. On a good month you can only get five Sundays, or five Saturdays, or five Fridays, or whatever. But any old month has at least 28 todays. Today is the only day that I ever get anything done. If I am looking forward to do something Wednesday, it does me no good. For until today is Wednesday, there is nothing really to Friday. There is no certainty that I will still be alive Thursday, but as long as I am alive, I am alive today. If I am looking forward for Monday to Monday to Monday, why are there six other days each week? But if my favorite day of the week is today, then I can always be most happy, because my favorite day is always here."

I thought it was appropriate in a society of "weekend waiters." I'm too often guilty of doing that.

I'll close my post the way Isaiah did his email:

"P.S. I think today is my favorite day of the whole year . . ."

Columbus Day: An Excuse for this Post

Well, I so rarely update that I almost feel that I owe some kind of explanation for when I do. Today's? - I was reading the comments my beloved readers left and realized that since it was almost Columbus Day - which being a special day counts as a snow day - I could post again! Yes, we have no school this Monday. No, the kids were not the only ones singing the Hallelujah Chorus!

Of few of you wanted to know what "M.E.A.N. Teacher" meant. I leave this question unanswered as my promise to you that I will write again soon. Feel free to pressure me as this is usually the only way I do things - after constant reminding (hey, my students are like that too!).

We had no school today. Only our annual fundraising walk. My class walked six miles. Not long, but, boy, do fifth and sixth graders lack stamina! They sure could run at the beginning, but only a few of them were still doing well at the end! Most were dying for water halfway through the second mile. I could hear Denzel Washington speaking those words from Remember the Titans: "Water is for cowards. Water makes you weak." But in light of the recent charges pressed against the sports coach that supposedly didn't let his players get water, leading to the death of one . . . probably a good thing I don't quote Denzel like the Bible.

But isn't that interesting? The things that are said and done in movies that we think is cool or funny that really aren't in real life? And not just the moral question everyone asks, "How can you watch Pirates of the Carribbean" and not be supporting that kind of wicked stealing?" But more ordinary things like the Remember the Titans stuff. We all root for Denzel in the movie and most parents would want to kill him if he was their child's football coach. Just a little rambling for you to think about.

'Kay, bye!