One Of "Those" Teacher Workshops...

"Reading Across The Curriculum." Sounds fascinating, right? Maybe you're wishing that you could have spent a sunny Thursday ensconced in the high school library participating in this scintillating discussion. If so, I would heartily suggest that you take some "me time" and review your priorities. You need to get out more. You are withering on the vine. Get cable...read a book...develop an interesting rash. Do anything!!!

This was one of those trainings where you just feel badly for the presenters. They had an audience who was present more by command than by actual interest and a tenth of the time they needed to impart what needed the impartin'. The result was a presentation fired at us with the speed of light which we weren't all that interested in catching after the first few sincere attempts at speed-listening. Some of us took the high road and at least pretended to take part. Others chatted merrily away, enjoying the time to catch up before we all began our summer vacations in earnest. (The past two weeks have been littered with trainings...) The Chatters were pretty much hated by The Fakers, but they didn't care because noticing that The Fakers were glaring at them would have meant disengaging from their off-topic ramblings.

There is always an up-side to these things, though. In deference to the ongoing high temperatures, the training was moved from my school's cafeteria (aka: The Oven) to the air conditioned library at the high school. It took us all a minute or two to find our bearings...the automated dialer that usually calls us with this type of scheduling information was on the blink last night and no one is checking their email these days. With the help of a few hand-lettered signs placed helpfully about the town, we were able to regroup and get to the correct location. It was certainly cooler there than anywhere else I'd thought of being today.

And, having completed Sock Of Summer The First last night, I was needing a little time to sit and knit a few inches of ribbing and plain stockinette in order that I might someday have a pair. There was more of the audience participation than I really wanted in this workshop, though. Just when I'd get a nice knitting rhythm going someone would decided that it was time for us to practice some sort of vocabulary development strategy. And, while I realize that this was the purpose behind my being there, it was something of an intrusion. Still, I made some pretty decent progress on Sock Of Summer The Second.

Lastly, they let us out over an hour early despite the arrival of the principal for the end of the training and the need for us to suddenly act more professional and teacherly than we were for the earlier part of the day. It gave me a little time to do some shopping on the way home. Which wasn't precisely necessary...but delightful given its unexpected nature. I didn't find much. But that wasn't the point, really.

And that does it for trainings! I'm done with the school type stuff for a while and can focus on enjoying the rest of my summer...and tending my still-unidentified-rash.

Thanks for the consolation and thoughts on this little dilemma. There are a million things that the doctor can rule out as the cause...and not a one that she can say is for sure what made it appear. I've had the stupid thing for a month now and we've looked at everything that we can think of but have yet to narrow down what's happening. The dermatologist is the best hope...but there are very few practicing in Maine. And they are booked fairly solidly. I was pretty frustrated at first. It was a little too easy to think of the "skin docs" as nothing more than high paid pimple poppers and forget that they deal with things like skin cancer. There are probably a few folks ahead of me in line with stuff more serious than a rash. And with the cooler temperatures moving in by tomorrow, things should be more bearable anyway.

I'll just be sitting by the phone, knitting a sock or two and hitting redial. I've got the rest of the summer off...just because I'm feeling more understanding of the Dermatologists' role in making the world a healthier place doesn't mean that I'm not going to snag that opening when little Billy decides to go to Band Camp and put off his eczema screening.

If he happens to get into some poison ivy while frolicking with his fellow campers, he is on his own.

SA