Well Yes, But...

There are lots of ways to tell when it is time for Spring Break. I've been teaching since kids rode to school on the backs of dinosaurs so I've gotten pretty good at spotting the signs. Mostly it comes down to seeing how close you come to the fine line between Responsible Behavior and Not So Much With That.

Sometimes there is bad language and quiet weeping, but I haven't quite gotten to that point yet. Give me a day or two...

If you need further examples, I have a few for you. Here are just some of the things that have gone on recently which might indicate my need for a week off:

When my Organized Teaching Assistant began chastising the students for their slovenly ways and demanded to know who left the half-eaten apple in the middle of the table, I confessed. T'was I who besmirched our working surface with my rotting leftovers.

However...it took me almost two full minutes to do so and I really gave serious consideration to letting the kids take the fall. Frankly, it's more believable that one of them would eat an apple than I.

When we were down to one last Sweet 'n Sour Twizzler, I gave it to the student who requested it. I really wanted it for myself, but that didn't seem right since he did all the work I asked of him. Plus I'd sort of already told him he could have one if he was a good boy.

However...the reason we were so low on Twizzlers was because I ate five of them when the kids weren't looking. That's why I had to eat half an apple. I needed to balance out all the sugar.

I got up early this morning. I swept the kitchen floor and changed the icky shower curtain liner. I wiped down the counters. I cleaned not only the cats' commode, but mine own.

However... I wasn't supposed to do all that. I was supposed to put on shoes and go out for groceries. I was also supposed to pay a few bills and take out the trash. I did not want to wear shoes today. Most of those activities require footwear.

I spun today and even remembered to take a picture of my singles. The first few pictures were dreadful but I didn't mind trying again. I even maintained a sense of humor when the second set didn't come out all that well either.

These things happen sometimes, after all. And red-orange isn't aways easy to photograph given the light levels around here.

However...when I couldn't find the usb cord so I could upload the pictures, I had a fit of epic proportions. The fact that the cord was sitting right next to the computer all along and that I put it there myself for a very specific reason that I no longer recall did nothing to improve my mood. In that moment, the entire world was out to get me and my enemies were willing to go so far as to break into my home and hid my usb cord to do it.

The language wasn't really all that bad (mostly) and there was no gentle weeping. I suppose I'm in better shape than some of my fellow educators right about now. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't close to the edge. It's been a long haul.

Stay tuned. Feel free to visit the betting windows if you are of a mind. I don't have any tips for you so you'll have to calculate your own odds regarding whether I'll survive another week of middle school education or break down and require the intervention of specialists.

Like I said, it's a fine line and I'm dancing pretty close to it these days. Who knows where I'll land...

SA