The Warrior

I've mentioned before my somewhat odd teaching circumstances.  With two different grades, several different schedules and very little consistency working between any of them, I don't have a typical teaching day.  Hence, I also don't always have a designated lunch period.  Last year was particularly difficult and I pretty much had kids working in the classroom from 7:40 to 3:15.  

But, I am also contractually allowed a twenty minute lunch break per day.  So, I got in the habit of carving out those twenty minutes for myself regardless of the day's routine.  If there were kids who needed to be in my classroom, I simply set them up to work independently for that block of time and called it, "lunch."  And, since I don't really eat much during the day, I usually knit.  I had to stay in the classroom, but I gave myself permission to wield the needles rather than the chalk for that little slice of the day.

However...for those wandering by (perhaps on their way to lunches in the child-free teacher's room) this probably looked a bit odd.  It may have even looked like a certain Ms. Sheep was a bit derelict in her duties.  Teachers, who are a generally responsible lot, like to think that everyone is doing what they are supposed to do.  It is very likely that they might raise the alarm if they think a colleague is flagrantly breaking the rules.

And that, my friends, is exactly what happened last spring.  

Now, before you get all up in arms and start organizing yourselves in protest of this horrific violation of my Civil and Fiber-Related Rights, please know that I considered this a "no harm/no foul" sort of situation.  Anyone who doesn't work my schedule isn't necessarily going to consider the issues that come along with it and it was easy to see how they might misinterpret the scene.  None of the parties involved were trying to be Meanie-Heads and everyone was more than gracious about it once the situation was explained.  

However, I opted to quit with the knit while at school after that.  Sure, I could have continued freely, but you have to choose your battles in this life.  If it came up once, it would come up again for someone who missed the original mini-drama.  I really don't have the energy to keep explaining my schedule and, to be perfectly honest, I don't really always understand it well enough to do so with any real clarity.  

Although, I do have to admit that the idea of a throng of knitters all converging outside my classroom window waving handknit banners with cleverly stranded words of support and singing, "We Shall Not Be Moved" tickles me mightily.  It would almost be worth the resulting "discussion" in the Principal's office later.  But don't do it, please.  The weather has really taken a turn up here and the winds are rather brisk.  Even with the finest of scarves, sweaters, hats and mittens, you would likely catch a chill.  I'd feel badly...

Tomorrow, though, we are suspending the self-imposed moratorium.  I have given it a great deal of deep and complex thought.  I have weighed my options.  I have come up with three very, very good reasons for taking the needles with me to work tomorrow:

1.  Tomorrow is report card day and, thus, an early release day for the students.  The theory behind this may be that those students for whom the news is not good might need the extra time for "explanation."  We like to accommodate our charges.

2.  I have, for reasons that escape me entirely, decided that I must have a hand knit scarf ready for holiday gifting by Saturday morning.  This is doable.  But, the extra knitting time once the children have gone home to face the music will make it more of a sure thing.  This scarf is for my Stylist/Life Coach, after all.  It's not like I can just show up empty handed.  She's doing my color.  We take no chances.

3.  One of the things I've put on the schedule for tomorrow afternoon is a meeting with one of the new teachers to help him work on a behavior support plan for a student.  This is the same teacher who, at the recent district workshops, spent a good twenty minutes grousing about the women in his earlier sessions "just sitting there and knitting the whole time."  He then had to sit next to me in awkward silence while I knit a sock during the final activity of the day.  I think that bringing my knitting along for our meeting will be not only appropriate...it will be necessary.  

Like I said...you need to choose your battles.

SA