was one of those days that made me question the judgement of the people who trust me to do my job. because if they trust me, there has got to be something wrong with them.
today i felt 100% unqualified for this.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
connecting over war...
today i had to give a standardized test to a small group of kiddos. when we finished the test we had time to hang out and wait for their classrooms to be finished. while we waited we colored, and somehow the conversation to their countries.
i didn't go to school in my country, 'cause they're really mean there in kabul and they'd hit you at school. but now there's a war there. and bombs. we had a dog there.
hey! there's a war in my country too! wanna know why? 'cause once upon a time in somalia there was no food and my country was very weak. and then someone brought in lots of food for everyone. then the bad guys came in and wanted all the food so we had war.
my country in kabul was very weak too!
i didn't go to school in my country, 'cause they're really mean there in kabul and they'd hit you at school. but now there's a war there. and bombs. we had a dog there.
hey! there's a war in my country too! wanna know why? 'cause once upon a time in somalia there was no food and my country was very weak. and then someone brought in lots of food for everyone. then the bad guys came in and wanted all the food so we had war.
my country in kabul was very weak too!
Monday, October 20, 2008
ahhhh, now it's clear
all during break, for over 2 weeks now, i've had a hideous cough. i feel fine except for the occasionally body-shaking cough, which the cab driver informed me sounded like i was 90.
during a reading focus lesson today i heard one of my kiddos cough a body-shaking-sound-like-your-90 cough. into the air, not covered by hand or elbow.
and now i know where i got my cough from.
"sorry" he said, and shrugged. "i've been sick forever".
yeah, me too buddy.
now, remember how i showed you to cover your mouth... let's try that again.
during a reading focus lesson today i heard one of my kiddos cough a body-shaking-sound-like-your-90 cough. into the air, not covered by hand or elbow.
and now i know where i got my cough from.
"sorry" he said, and shrugged. "i've been sick forever".
yeah, me too buddy.
now, remember how i showed you to cover your mouth... let's try that again.
evil teacher
one of my little friends came to tell me that he'd been to the hospital during our break, and was currently in a lot of pain and wanted to go to the clinic.
most people's responses would have been "poor you... what hurts?"
of course, he decided to inform me of this during writing workshop, so my response was, "oh no! so, on the first page you're going to draw your dad picking you up and taking you to the hospital, right?"
the child held his ear in pain as I prompted him through his fabulous 4 page story. and then, when we were finished, and he continued to moan, i asked him if he thought he should go to the clinic.
i'm so mean. but really, it was a great story. his details of him on his couch, with his mom putting drops in his ears.
most people's responses would have been "poor you... what hurts?"
of course, he decided to inform me of this during writing workshop, so my response was, "oh no! so, on the first page you're going to draw your dad picking you up and taking you to the hospital, right?"
the child held his ear in pain as I prompted him through his fabulous 4 page story. and then, when we were finished, and he continued to moan, i asked him if he thought he should go to the clinic.
i'm so mean. but really, it was a great story. his details of him on his couch, with his mom putting drops in his ears.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
october travels
i don't remember if october was my favorite month before i began working at a year-round school, but now i have to admit i find the crisp fall days of october almost holy. however, i suspect it has more to do with the fact that i'm on break and have had a week to sit on the porch wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping coffee and reading for pleasure. in the past week i've done nothing school related (other than grad school work) and it's been fabulous. my stack of school work is tucked away behind the couch- because of course i thought i would get so much done during my time off. not so, but i've taken lots of naps with my cat.
tomorrow my husband and i are off to switzerland. this summer my two brothers, who had just graduated from college, called me and said, "hey, we're going to switzerland in two weeks to meet those relatives we've always heard about. want to come?"
it was my first realization that i am an adult. with a mortgage. and a husband. and grad school classes. who can't just buy international plane tickets on a whim and fly away to meet long-lost relatives. it pained me to tell them no. i spent a good two days trying to make it work, find cheap tickets, convincing myself i could take my grad school final the day we came back, that i really wanted to stay in hostels with my baby brothers and other european tourists. finally, i acknowledge that i was a grown up.
luckily, i didn't acknowledge this before i'd purchased a switzerland guidebook and left it in plain view for my husband to peruse. once he decided he wanted to go we did the adult thing and planned ahead and are now leaving for switzerland tomorrow.
("adult thing" is currently up in the air since the economy is reportedly falling out of the sky and we're off to one of the most expensive countries in europe. but now we've got nonrefundable tickets, so... off we go. )
tomorrow my husband and i are off to switzerland. this summer my two brothers, who had just graduated from college, called me and said, "hey, we're going to switzerland in two weeks to meet those relatives we've always heard about. want to come?"
it was my first realization that i am an adult. with a mortgage. and a husband. and grad school classes. who can't just buy international plane tickets on a whim and fly away to meet long-lost relatives. it pained me to tell them no. i spent a good two days trying to make it work, find cheap tickets, convincing myself i could take my grad school final the day we came back, that i really wanted to stay in hostels with my baby brothers and other european tourists. finally, i acknowledge that i was a grown up.
luckily, i didn't acknowledge this before i'd purchased a switzerland guidebook and left it in plain view for my husband to peruse. once he decided he wanted to go we did the adult thing and planned ahead and are now leaving for switzerland tomorrow.
("adult thing" is currently up in the air since the economy is reportedly falling out of the sky and we're off to one of the most expensive countries in europe. but now we've got nonrefundable tickets, so... off we go. )
i explained to my friday morning book club that we would not have book club over intersession since i'd be away. "in my country!" i said proudly, proving that a) i can be as mature as a 4th grader and b) i have international ties just like the kids at my school.
"where you going? let me guess... germany!" one of my book-club members exclaimed.
"nope, switzerland"
"you so look german" what does a 4th grader know about looking german (except that my grandfather's father was german and mother was swiss... so she's right)
whose from there? your mom or your dad? she asked.
"my mother's father's mother" i explained, realizing how silly this sounded.
"come on mrs lipstick, that's not your country. thats too confusing. your american"
again, true point. but for about 2 seconds i wanted to feel cool like allt he other kids who "travel to their countries" during breaks.
*sigh*
the other non-adult thing i did was schedule the trip to return the night before my midterm in my special education assessment class, which is nothing but statistics. perhaps if i fail i can tempt my professors with swiss chocolate...
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