Remembering To Forget

I awoke this morning with a headache.  Not just a regular headache.  A real Noggin Knocker.  It persisted through the a.m. infusion of caffeine and kept right on a-thumpin' as I began my school day.  It was the kind of headache that forces a teacher to stumble down to the nurse's office during her preparatory period to beg for ibuprofen and promise her firstborn son in return for that sweet, sweet OTC relief.

The school nurse, being a medical professional, is fully aware of the fact that a firstborn is probably not forthcoming.  Nor would she want any of the fruit of my aged loins, come to think of it.  She has her own.  But she tipped the little pills into my hand anyway and, for that, I love her.

Even if they didn't really work...

By 9:00, I had made it through two meetings and was sitting blearily at my desk.  Mine eyes were attempting to focus on the laptop screen so I could finish typing up the paperwork on that new student that I got a couple of weeks ago.  I needed to wrap that up so I could do the paperwork on the new student they handed me today before I got started on the paperwork for the new student I will be getting at tomorrow morning's meeting.  (the one that starts at 8:00 assuming I can get my own class settled down enough to go to the other school and receive this little gift)

In the dock was a closed window containing an email to my principal.  I had written it bright and early but hadn't dared to send it.  I needed some sort of sign before I did that, something to tell me that I was doing the right thing.  When you are thinking of suddenly "remembering" that you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and asking if you can skip the afternoon meeting on How To Proctor The Upcoming And Very Important State Assessment, you should probably make sure that you have your ducks in a row.  And those ducks should maybe look frail enough to justify your taking a half-sick day.

I couldn't help but believe that I might be able to pull it off at that point.  And if I couldn't, I was willing to take hostages.  Sheepie is feeling somewhat "done."  Sheepie has been very much present in her classroom this year.  Sheepie is taking tomorrow afternoon off and that is final.

Sheepie hit "send."

I still doubted myself.  But later, when I asked my staff if they would take notes for me at the meeting, one of them said, "No problem.  Frankly, I don't know why you don't take every other day off at this point.  I would if I were in your shoes..."

As things tend to go very, very badly when I am not present in the classroom, that was something of a ringing endorsement.  I believe that my taking the afternoon off when there will be no students present will do wonders for my willingness to eventually return.  If the staff are on board with this plan, then I guess it's got the green light.

The headache continues to dance merrily away in my skull and is doing so to a wicked bass beat.  I'll take another round of ibuprofen in a bit.  I'll survive.  

Because tomorrow I get to go home early for an appointment that I decided to "remember" that I "forgot."  I'll maybe knit a bit on the "dishcloth" (with sleeves) or perhaps spin some of that merino I've got on the wheel at the moment.  Maybe I will do neither of those things.  I do need to remember to take out the trash and empty the dishwasher before that tower of dirty dishes in the sink topples over onto the Absurdly Gi-normous Kitty.  Otherwise, the afternoon is mine to do with as I will.

And I am not ruling out a nap at this point.

SA