Thursday, June 12, 2008

Long Week's Journey Into Friday

I'm not exactly sure what changed, but the staff at my school has suddenly found the love for one another.  After three straight days of bickering, back-stabbing and bitterness, the storm has passed.  Instead of using the school district's email to send nasty-grams to one another, the wireless air around us was rife with informational postings, thanks for any and all hard work and even an apology or two.  Heck, even I got one of those "golly, I'm sorry if I made you feel all horrible..." missives.

With the last few days of school upon us, school consists primarily of activities.  There is much locker-cleaning, movie watching and running about whilst carrying eggs on teaspoons.  Yearbooks are being signed.  So are students.  For some reason (and it escapes me entirely) the sixth graders have taken to having their peers inscribe their arms and legs with those end of the year messages which my friends preferred to put in autograph books back in the day.  Any student who came to my classroom was handed a stack of worksheets which involved finding secret messages or hidden pictures.  The computer was made available for educational types of games.  No one was on a real schedule and I never knew when I was going to have to send them off to some other place.  There was no sense in trying to plan lessons with a beginning, middle and end.  

The Cheerful Teaching Assistant and I found ourselves using the day to process yesterday's bomb and trying to come to terms with our forced divorce.  We each had our own unique way of dealing.  She sat at the front table and knit upon a Very Long Thing With Lots Of Garter Stitch.  She even managed to master a rather impressive yarnover.  She would take periodic breaks to search online databases for a new job or to shout out, "Look!  I made a hole...on purpose!"

I sat at my desk and did paperwork.  Files were organized.  Folders updated.  The ones that are a hopeless mess and impossible to put into anything resembling order were shuffled to the back of the file cabinet so I can later claim that they were left there by my predecessor.  I probably would have knit something, but I didn't bring any knitting.  I didn't even think of it.  Which is indicative of my depression level over the whole matter of losing the Cheerful Teaching Assistant to the high school.

We are in agreement that we no longer like our current director.  He told us untruths then hid before we could find out the reality.  We also do not like the person who will be taking her job and thought very mean thoughts about her.   We were fully aware of the fact that seems sort of unreasonable since she is probably a very lovely person who will make educational magic happen for the kids in my class next year.  I've no doubt that she is a saint of a human being who gives to charity and feeds the stray cats.  But we are in the Anger Stage of the whole process and see no real need to be reasonable at this point.  

I also dealt with matters by getting myself some rather risque new nail polish and applying it to my toesies this afternoon.  It will distract the eye nicely from the capri pants I purchased at the same time and which I do not really love.  But this retirement dinner thingie is this weekend and I'm kind of out of time for finding something better.  I can only hope that everyone will be so taken with my darkly polished piggies that they won't notice the horror that is the capri pants.  At least the little top I found is cute...and was on clearance for four bucks.  

I am working hard to keep my attention on all things Busy or Mind Occupying.  As the CTA and the sixth graders will be on a field trip tomorrow, I will spend the day driving the fifth graders into forced servitude so that I can finish packing up the classroom.  Then I shall go home and focus entirely on the weekend.  I need to bake some challa for the Father's Day Feast at Mommy and Daddy Sheep's house.  I also need to put on my ugly capri pants and travel to points north for a retirement dinner.  I shall be very busy what with all the baking and pants loathing.  It should be a full weekend!

Then I have 1.5 days left.  Hopefully, the staff will remain civil, the students will remain distracted by their arm autographs and I will remain able to keep from driving over to the Central Office for a "word" with my boss...

SA

11 comments:

Yarnhog said...

You're almost there! I've said that 1,032 times today, since I spent the day at the kids' school running end-of-year parties and felt it necessary to say it to every single teacher I came into contact with. They all had that slightly crazed half-smile they get on the last day that always makes me think they might not quite be able to keep it together until the kids are out the gate. Once again, however, we made it to the official end of school without any noticeable breakdowns, so I can say with some assurance: you're almost there!

Unknown said...

There comes a point where one says I can stand anything for "arbitrary time period approximately equal to the one that lays before one full of things one doesn't want to do or loathes or whatever". For example, when I am forced to assist in some way at the school that involves actual contact with large numbers of small children, I break out the old, "I can do anything for an hour" trick to talk me through it. 1.5 days is kind of a lot for that trick though unless it's in-law related where flying cross country and only staying for 2 hours does make one look a little odd. Not that it's not worth it sometimes...

sheep#100 said...

What's his email address? I could send him an anonymous "word" on your behalf without actually mentioning the Cheerful Teaching Assistant nor your Sheepie self by name.

Crummy director-type person!

Anne said...

so Blogger ate my last commment -- what;s up with that? In anyc ase, hang in there!

Anonymous said...

It stinks that you were told you'd get to transfer with the CTA and now you don't. Is there any way that it might work out?

What's with kids drawing on themselves?! E loves to do that and can't understand why we tell her not to.

Anonymous said...

Hang in there, Sheepie!


(for some reason my verification word is giving me the giggle: bumhobn)

Anonymous said...

I can't help but think there is a reason to this forced divorce and the only one I can come up with is the knitting. You must teach your new assistant to knit and your old assistant must teach her new(what does she call you??) Queen to knit. That's got to be it.
Enjoy your weekend.

Unknown said...

Look at the bright side. I see a lot of blog material for next year.

As a former principal you know my opinion most of the occupants of central offices. Go talk to the special ed director. They have a special place on my list!!

Dad

Mia said...

Maybe that "word" with the boss is due.. just sayin. Doesn't sound like fun times over there in sheepie land... but you're almost rid of it for the summer at least.

I hope you and your risque toenails enjoy the party :)

Donna Lee said...

My kids have no trouble writing phone numbers and other pertinent info on their arms, hands, etc. When I see that, I launch into the history of papyrus and how some people way back in time made it so we don't have to write on our bodies but could use this magical substance called Paper. They groan and roll their eyes. I had to get rid of my capri pants after listening to my husband for the last 2 years tell me how terrible they looked on women. Not just me, but all women. I caved and gave them away.

Knitting Linguist said...

I'm so sorry about the bad news. But you are almost there. So close. You can taste it, can't you? Hold on...