My kids left this morning for school at 9; our district, with its new England winding hills, pretty regularly errs on the side of caution when it comes to treacherous road conditions and since we’d had three inches of snow overnight, we got to sleep in. My youngest was upset because her grade had a field trip planned for the day (which was canceled) and because she hadn’t actually done the homework due, figuring her teacher wouldn’t collect it before all the kids got on the buses. D’oh!
Here is no particular oder is what comes from a brain in a blender.
1. Because I do not live in a cave and because I regularly listen to NPR, I feel relatively informed about the upcoming election (my first!) and the players and issues involved. It’s an exciting time, superimposed with a dire time for the country, and I am eager to do my part for the rest of the process. I was a Hillary supporter BEFORE I took this political candidate selector quiz and when she came in (after non-existent candidate) at a 75% match for the issues important to me, I was pleased and a little comforted that I hadn’t simply chosen her for her gender.
2. This week in my critical thinking class, I am having students track their time – EVERYTHING they do and for how long. We’re doing this to highlight those black holes of time we all feed to things like phone calls, internet surfing and, in the case of FAR too many of my students, Facebooking and gaming. I am doing this too and I quite certain I will be horrified how much of my time I sacrifice to eater of time, whatever name I give it.
3. The next six weeks before the big day requires a massive, excruciatingly-detailed list for all the things, big and small,
that must be done – from the kipahs (beanies) to the flowers to the song list and no-way song list, to the prayers to the weather gods to direct normally-scheduled storms for the 22nd somewhere bloody else. Hmm, Atlanta? (photo credit)
4. One of my composition students is exactly my age and has been writing intensely beautiful and huge life-lesson inspired pieces that humble and astound me. Here I was thinking I would be teaching about the craft of writing, and I am, but I am also learning so much about the healing power of personal narrative. We English teachers are often privy to the inner thoughts of our students; these writings have in my experience ranged from the deeply disturbing, to the extremely humorous, to the so far out I have not frame of reference for what they are writing about. The latter students make me wonder exactly what they were on when they composed their entries. But THIS student, this culinary-inclined writer has so many eloquent and beautifully crafted stories to tell that I am reminded how much I love working with students. AND, how much I learn from them
5. For the last 4 days or so, I have been experiencing the sensation of skin-crawling; I feel like the epidermal layer of my back and all down my sides just wants to get up and go someplace else. Perhaps I am fighting off any one of the delightful plagues that is touring our community, but this is a new one for me. And I DON’T recommend it.
6. My mother, bless her, knowing full well how heavy my plate will be closer to the Bat Mitzvah (and for the brunch on the Sunday, at MY house) has offered to pay for a cleaning team to come in and give my home a through going over for about 4 hours. I am by no means a slob, so it’s not like my house needs mucking out, but this is a godsend and one less thing for me to be manic about.
7. Boo, my 7th grader has begun to experience the crappy part of middle school melodrama: one of her friends has cooled to Boo and has made it clear that my daughter isn’t “cool enough” to be friends with any longer. This child is far less mature than my daughter and believes that social climbing to a cooler-seeming group of girls will make life that much better: in the process, there is the requisite back-stabbing, lying and tattling that makes this plot so enchanting. I do have an urge to call this child’s mother and discuss it with her (we’ve been friendly for years and they are all invited to the BM), but I hesitate to get involved. So far what’s missing is the direct communication, the, what’s what talk friends have. This may be one of those experiences that Boo needs to navigate herself, but I’m watching very closely. Very closely. Those of you with middle schoolers- what’s been your experience with the darker side of middle school?
8. O’Family eats a lot of meat – every night’s dinner has some sort of animal protein on the menu – and lately, I have been finding humanely-raised chickens that are organic (and hormone and antibiotic-free), and naturally-grown beef (fed mostly grass and likewise, no antibiotics and hormones) very close to home at local supermarkets. Yes, more expensive, but as a consumer, I vote with my dollars and fortunately, there are enough like-minded people out there to demand its presence in the market.
9. I’ve withdrawn and blog-blocked lately, but am beginning to feel like taking on my world again. I have been lurking though: many of you and your words have helped – thank you.
10. Super Tuesday and its ramifications have me obsessively checking CNN.com for updates. I think after I finish writing this, I’ll take the dogs for a walk to get AWAY from my COMPUTER, which really is the biggest time sucker of them all anyway! Thinking of something else, thinking of something else…
It’s horrid when friends suddenly decide they don’t want to hang around you any more. I think everyone has gone through that at some point. I think you are right and hanging back unless things get worse is probably the best thing to do. hard though.
In england we don’t know much about super Tuesday. but we do know today is pancake day!
How wonderful of your mother to send you a house cleaner! Best gift ever, I think!
I don’t have any experience with middle schoolers personally, other than watching them at work. But from what I’ve seen, it’s sometimes harder when the parents step in; however, you don’t strike me as the type who gets angry and overreacts. I think you’re doing the right thing by holding off for now; you’ll know if you need to take action.
I came up as 88% compatible with Barak Obama and 75% with Hilary Clinton. I’m leaning toward Obama, anyway, though I could live with either of them in the top job.
Dan, you’re absolutely right – kids, too often girls, can be absolute beasts to one another as they maneuver around social groups. It’s hard because I really do want to have a wee chat with this girls, but I don;t want o have this about what I did to move this situation along, it has to be my daughter’s movement.
Over here, something like 26 states vote to select their political candidate of choice in a completely insane system on what is called Super TuesdaySo this is start of Lent, right? What sort of pancakes did YOU have?
Tense, my mother rocks and I had NO PROBLEM accepting her fantastic and thoughtful help. Best gift ever, indeed.
As for the middledrama happening, I refuse to lose it, you’re right about the perils of parental meddling (scars from MY childhood, much?). If I am needed, I’m so there.
Chili, I do have my heart set on Hillary, but compared to the other side, I’ll take Obama any day.