Tele-teacher

When it comes to jobs, teleworking and teaching seem incompatible. The flexible, get-up when-you-want, errand-running, Netflix-watching, going to the gym, as-long-as-the-work-gets-done model of  production is impossible to jibe with that essential face-to-face transaction that defines public school.

But on a teacher work day? When kids are off and the to-do list is mostly grading and planning? Location can be arbitrary, particularly given the online tools of today.

Our district has offered the option for a couple of years now, but I have never chosen it, partially from the suspicion that some might think if we don't need to come in, we don't need the day, and also from the self-awareness that I get more work done at my desk. But for today, with Heidi off, and most of my colleagues planning to be out of the building, I took a deep breath and checked 'yes' on the Google form, indicating that I would work from somewhere other than my classroom.

And... I probably did less today than I might have otherwise, but my grades are due when they are due, and they will be done. AND? It's not like teachers aren't used to working outside their contract day, plus I got to stay up late with my writing group last night and sleep in a little today. 

So, I'll call it wash.

Life Before

Part of the fun of our media literacy unit is watching a whole bunch of commercials with the kids in class. In fact, we even plan it for this time of year to coincide with all the Super Bowl commercials, and one tweak I've made to the daily plan is to watch a "commercial of the day" where the quote of the day discussion ordinarily takes place.

Today we watched the latest Amazon Alexa ad, an early Super Bowl release. It features Ellen Degeneres and Portia DiRossi and whimsically imagines what people did before there was Alexa. After viewing, we have a quick discussion where students identify the persuasive techniques they noticed.

Of course, testimonial was number one for this particular commercial. "That's right," I confirmed to all of my classes. "Both Ellen Degeneres and her wife, Portia DiRossi are celebrities who use the product."

And every time I said it, my breath caught just a tiny bit, for it was not long ago at all (but definitely before Alexa) that I never could have imagined even mentioning in school two women who were married, much less say it just as casually as I did today in the lesson.

My students accept same sex marriage as a given; they cannot even imagine life before that was so. Now that? Appeals to my emotion.

Stay at Home

I can't say that I ever considered what it might be like to have a wife of the homemaker variety, and yet, while Heidi is away from school on medical leave for six weeks, that's kind of the current situation. Unfortunately, there is a lot of emotional baggage that goes with this arrangement: being in recovery from surgery, facing physical limitations, and the boredom and restlessness of such a different routine have all made the staying at home the last couple of weeks a little rocky. But today, after the two-week check-in with her doctor, Heidi has accepted the reality of it all. AND? The opportunity! In addition to teaching our cats to ring bells for treats, who knows what she can accomplish in the next four weeks?

Engage

"When we write essays," I told my students, "we read essays."

They nodded.

"When we write fiction?" I continued.

"We read fiction?" a student volunteered.

"Yes!" I said. "Those are models! It always helps to see how the pros do it!"

More nods.

"And in this media literacy unit? We are making commercials, so--"

"--we have to watch commercials?!"

"Right!" I agreed. "Let's see how the pros do it!"

The students plugged in their earbuds and clicked on the links. And the rest of the class passed in near silence.

All is Found

After my doctor's appointment this morning we decided to see a movie. It was early enough that the only shows playing were out at a mall about 10 miles from our house, but that was fine because it was late enough to miss traffic, and so off we went.

Heidi's choice was Frozen II, and I went with it because I totally enjoyed the girl power sing along of the first one. Buying our tickets, I noted that the theater was not very full, and I expected it to remain that way on Monday of a school week. Boy was I wrong! We saw the movie with at least 50 toddlers and their caretakers.

As you can imagine, there was a lot of back and forth to the restroom, some talking, and even a few tears completely unrelated to the action on the screen. I didn't mind a bit though, especially because a big theme of the movie was about how everything must change. The preview of the new Scooby Doo movie had left me a bit nostalgic for those days when my nephews were much younger and we enjoyed a lot of kid films together.

Soon enough, these kids would be in school, and then out, and then taking their own little ones to a movie, so I just leaned back in my seat and enjoyed the show and the company.

No Bloodwork Necessary

I'm reclining in our new chair reading by our new lamp with a cozy new blanket over my lap. My feet are up, there is a fire in the fireplace, and I'm off tomorrow for my annual physical. If the current situation is any indication, I'm sure I am quite well!

Out with the Not-so-old

"They closed the grocery store down by the target," Heidi told me yesterday. "Did you know that was happening?"

I did not, and so curious, I did a little quick research. There was no news about what was going to replace it, but there was an article about the property behind it. The 20 theater cinema was going to be torn down to make way for some Virginia Tech buildings, retail and office space, as well as the new Metro stop, all in response to the impending presence of Amazon's HQ2 campus a mile or so away.

I can't say I was sad that the movies were going; it wasn't a theater we enjoyed very often. But it did strike me that I remembered when they first built it on land that had once been an old railroad yard. The whole shopping center was shiny and brand new just a little over 20 years ago, and although it's definitely aged, it sure made me feel kind of old that part of it was already being replaced by something even newer.

Infectious Enthusiasm

"Good morning!" I hailed a colleague before school started. "How are you?"

"Great!" she said.

"Great!?" I raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Wow. Good for you!"

She laughed, too, and shrugged. "Well, you know. It's Friday."

"Yeah it is," I agreed. "I should totally be great, too!"

That Same Old Place

A colleague is retiring next week after exactly 30 years of teaching in the district. Such mid-year departures have been more common over the last few years; in fact I've been to three such retirement  celebrations since last February.

Each one has been a delight, though. The end of the school year is hectic, and a retirement party often gets lost in all the good-byes: to kids, to colleagues moving on, to everyone for a couple months of well deserved R&R. And so these Thursday or Friday afternoon events have been lovely gatherings. Without as many competing activities, lots of staff members are able to put in an appearance, and in a sweet tribute to the service of those who are departing, lots of already-retired colleagues attend as well.

That was the case today when ten former teachers and another dozen who are working elsewhere in the system (including the acting superintendent) joined 50 or so of the current staff to wish our retiring co-worker well.

Having taught in this school since 1993, they were all familiar faces to me, and I was soundly hugged quite a few times. I leaned right into the joy of each, even though I am not a hugger, and I was glad I did.

"I'm seeing so many people I haven't seen in so long, I forgot I missed 'em!" I remarked to the guy next to me, who left our school 15 years ago for a job at the Ed Center. "Welcome back!"

Attention! Part 2

"How're you doing?" asked the teacher.

"Fine," the student shrugged. "Why?"

"Well, you know, your niece?" the teacher replied.

The students eyes widened. "Oh. I'm okay, but I don't want to talk about it."

"But your parents," the teacher continued, "how are they? I think the school should reach out to them."

"Oh, no," answered the student. "They're over it."

"But it was just Thursday," said the teacher, "what about the funeral?"

The student waved her hand. "We had that already."

I shook my head as my colleague repeated this conversation at lunch.

"I know she's probably lying, but part of me wonders, what if it's true?," she said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Which part?"

She laughed. "I guess the crazy gullible part."

Attention! Part 1

"The saddest thing happened," one of my colleagues said at lunch the other day. She went on to tell us about a student who was acting a little withdrawn. When she checked in with her, the girl said that the evening before, her 18-year-old sister's toddler had pulled a bookshelf over on herself and was killed in the accident. "She didn't want to talk about it," my colleague said, "but I sent her to the counselor, anyway."

"How awful!" another teacher said, and we all nodded grimly.

"She asked me not to contact her parents," the first teacher continued, "because they were just too upset. 'I've never seen my father cry before,' she said."

"Wait, what?" I said with a frown. "Am I terrible because I think it's a little fishy that she doesn't want us to contact her parents?" I paused. "And she was at school today?"

"Another girl on the other team lost her baby brother very suddenly, too," one of the other teachers said. "I think it was the day before yesterday, and she hasn't missed school at all."

"Two baby deaths in two days?" I raised my eyebrows.

"No!" the first teacher said. "Seriously? Do you guys really think she made it up?"

Threagle

How likely was it that I would see a bald eagle soaring over the congested route to Target, just a couple miles from home? I'd say not very, and yet there it was on Saturday circling lazily in the icy climes.

How likely was it that I would see a bald eagle on the way home from the outlet mall yesterday? Again, I'd say chances were slim, but there was our national bird perched proudly on a power tower right by the side of the interstate.

And I bet you'd think I might be a bit less surprised to see a bald eagle this morning soaring over the road that leads to the gym, but you would be wrong. I gasped and craned my neck, squinting into the thin January sun ready to pinch myself when I spotted that iconic white head and tail fan.

Three days and three eagles... what will fly by tomorrow?

Needs and Wants

I needed a desk lamp, and there was one I liked at IKEA, so off we went to the outlet mall.

I did not need a new duvet cover, a sock organizer, some cork trivets, AA batteries, a boot tray, another dog bed, a sweatshirt (on clearance!), or a long-sleeved t-shirt (also on clearance!), but I came home with them anyway.

Flea Bitten

The weather was cold and wet and it seemed like a good idea to get out of the house this afternoon and do something different. "There's a home show out at the Expo Center," I told Heidi, and off we went. The half hour in the car was pleasant enough: the weather had kept enough people home that the roads were not too bad, and we listened to our audiobook about starlings and Mozart

A cold, hard rain began to fall in earnest just as we pulled into the parking lot, and umbrellas up, we race-walked through freezing puddles to get inside. I guess I was expecting decorating showcases and ideas, but I had misread the purpose of the event; it was for home renovation and remodeling with a heavy, heavy presence of window, roofing, and siding people, many of whom jumped on us like hungry fleas.

There were also a few upscale mattress vendors, some homemade dips and bbq sauces, a couple of cooking presentations, and a mud mat demo that was very impressive, but after an hour we left empty-handed, except for the free tote bag we got for our wet umbrellas, which we actually paid for in the time it took to say no, no, no to the many services the booth was selling.

Oh, and there's that free window-replacement estimate this Wednesday evening. Our windows are 35 years old, after all.

Missing in Action

Back to work today after three days on caretaker duty, the effects of so much time out of school are beginning to show. “We thought you were dead this time,” a student said with not a trace of humor and despite the fact that I explained my absence before leaving on Monday.

And I don’t think it was my imagination that the students seemed a little needy around the assistant and co-teachers. “Thanks for the help,” one guy told me. “To be honest? I only asked you because Ms. G. was so busy, but you did a good job.”

And then there was one of the most oppositional kids of the year, the guy who refuses any assistance offered, deflecting with ridiculous antics. “Where’s G?” he asked about the other teacher, calling him by last name only.

“He’s in a meeting,” I told him right as the bell rang.

“Too bad!” he scoffed. “Maybe if he was here I could have gotten some real help.”

The Devil's Workshop

Our patient is coming along quite nicely, and so my care-taking holiday from school ends tomorrow.

Heidi must be off for at least another two weeks and possibly up to six weeks to recover, but she is feeling well enough to be bored, and so the main risk seems to be that she will overdo it in some way because she is impatient to return to normal activity. Knowing how restless she can be, I was counting on her being tired from the surgery, but it looks like being profoundly anemic for most of a year might have altered her sense of fatigue.

Starting next week though? I'm going to schedule some home repair people to come and do a few little jobs that haven't seemed worth taking time off for. That ought to keep her occupied!

Lucy's New Routine

Heidi is allowed to walk as much as she can, but not with Lucy since any pulling could harm her newly-configured gut. So this afternoon when we ventured forth for a little fresh air, it was I who held the leash.

Oh my!

Despite the fact that I walk Lucy alone every single morning, the fact that Heidi was there, too, seemed upsetting to our dog. She looked back and forth between us and gave the leash that I always use (but Heidi never does) a very suspicious look. Once she was sure that Heidi had the treats, though, Lucy agreed to leave the house, even with those unexpected details.

The rest of the walk involved a lot of looking over her shoulder and crossing in front of us, almost as if she had never walked on a leash before. Who knew that our little red dog was such a creature of habit?

Not I!

We Are Not Getting Any Younger

The waiting area was comfortable and I had plenty to do, and yet I was feeling a little teary. Heidi was in out-patient surgery for a relatively straight-forward procedure, and I knew everything would be fine, but still.

"Is it awful being at the hospital again?" my sister texted.

"Kind of," I replied, realizing that the hours I had spent in hospitals over the last year had taken a toll on me. I had never once considered asking someone to come with me to wait, but I knew then that I should have.

In may ways I am stoic, like my mother. She understood that there are certain things you have to do and do alone, and I know that, too. In those situations, I lift my chin and walk, steady on, toward the unavoidable, like she did.

But those occasions are relatively rare; what I don't often do is ask for company when it would be welcome. Today, I learned that I should do that.

And the other side of that coin? Is to remember to offer my company to others in a similar position.

As it Happens, No

"Are you Vegan?" one of the students asked me this morning, and before I could answer she continued, "Yeah you are. You just look like a Vegan."

"What does that even mean?" I asked her. "What does a vegan look like?"

"Like you!" she answered.

Warm and Light

Another unseasonably warm day, this time with sunshine, made it a little easier to pack up the Christmas decorations. But although we are on the waxing side of the solstice, the daylight was still rather brief, and so rather than curse the darkness, we lit some candles. It wasn't too warm for that.

Climate Change

What is this day like? I asked myself as I walked about in 73 degrees in January. The light was a dull winter gray, the trees were bare, and the grass was dry and brown. Winter in the tropics? Would be greener and a little more lush. Early spring? Would be brighter and more verdant. As it was, the weather today was nothing like any I can remember, and I find that a bit unsettling.

Brain Break

One of our squirrelier sixth graders was particularly restless today.

It was his last core class of the week after Winter Break and we were working on organizing and outlining our argument essays. About halfway through the workshop, he stood up, tucked his black turtleneck into his black track pants and pulled the waist up as high it would go. Then he bent to roll up the cuffs to mid-calf.

The kid is natural clown, and he had the attention of the whole class. "How do you like it?" he asked in a warbly falsetto.

"Only you," I told him, "could rock that look."

"Do you really like it?" he asked, still in that silly voice.

"Oh yes," I answered. "But?"

He looked at me; it was I who had his attention now.

"Now that you've rocked the outfit, let's see you rock the outline."

He gave that one some thought. "I can do that," he said and sat down at his table and resumed working.

Opening the Basket

One of my not-so-binding New Year's resolutions is to use the food in my pantry and freezer before I go out and buy more food to sit in indefinite storage, or at least by the end of 2020. In addition to the staples, we have a lot of weird stuff, some of which has been given to us, some of which I bought for a one-time recipe or forgotten reason, and some of which I have no idea of its provenance. As such, committing fully to the concept would mean that every day would be like an episode of Chopped.

Still, so far, it's been going okay, and tonight I'm using some artichokes and an eggplant and tomato thing along with shrimp, salad greens and pasta to create a version of our go-to meal of the fall: a hot and cold pasta salad with butter, lemon, and a protein. I have no doubt it will be edible, although probably not super delicious. I guess it could be worse, though. I set aside the bonito flakes, rose petal jam and chickpea flour for another day.

Language Barrier

If there is a self-checkout at a store, then I usually prefer to use it. If Heidi is with me, we have the process down to an art: I scan and she bags; I pay while she loads the cart, and we are on our way in no time. Tonight I was shopping solo, but my hand basket did not have very many items, and so I naturally stepped up to the open station and set my groceries on the shelf.

Running my fingers over the touch screen, I accidentally activated the Spanish language option, and once I was in it, I could not find a way to exit. The store employee who was assigned to the area was occupied with another customer, so I made the decision to muddle through, despite the fact that I have never taken a lesson of Spanish in my life. I had my familiarity with the process going for me, plus all the parent meetings with Spanish translation I've sat in on over the last 27 years, and so early on, I was confident of my success.

I entered my número de teléfono to avoid scanning my shopper's card, and from there I quickly scanned my items. Hearing the transactions and discounts described in a robotic voice in Spanish was a bit disconcerting, and I looked around furtively to see if anyone was paying any attention to the blond Anglo lady checking out in Español.

Seeing no interest, I continued emptying my basket until I got to the last item I had, cilantro. The barcode on the twist tie did not scan, and I frowned as I looked at the options on the screen. I punched the big square that read sin código de barras and was presented with an alphabetical list of produce, in Spanish of course. I navigated to the Cs, but cilantro? was not there either in picture or word. Flustered, I swiped quickly through the alphabet without any luck. Fortunately, I recognized the back button, and by luck was able to navigate to the screen where you can type in the name of your purchase. C-I-L brought up hierba cilantro and with relief I entered the numero, 1.

After that, it was screen memory that allowed me to check out and tap my watch to pay for my groceries. As I lifted my bags to go, the attendant came to remove my basket and clear the station for the next customer.

"Esto es tuyo?" he said holding up the phone I had left behind.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" I answered. "Thank you!"

"Uh, you're welcome?" he said, slightly confused.

Walking away, I was so relieved that the transaction was over, but my mind returned to all the interactions I have had at school with parents who do not speak English. We do what we can to accommodate them, but now I had a tiny, firsthand view into how stressful it must be to navigate the whole world in a language you do not speak.

Iconoclasts

Over the years, Heidi and I have had a lot of cats between us. A casual reckoning sets the number somewhere around 20, and as such, we consider ourselves experienced cat people. Even so, the two we have right now, Tibby and Milo, are such non-conformists that they continue to surprise us.

For example, where other cats we have had have ignored most toys, tunnels, scratching posts, and other cat paraphernalia, these two love anything we ever get that was meant for cats, including the outdoor stroller that I got for my birthday a couple of years ago. Whenever it is out, they use it as an extra place to hang out, presumably waiting for a stroll.

And Tibby loves water. She stalks the drips in the shower stall and even got in the tub and waded through Heidi's bath once. And both she and Milo love the fireplace. The scrunch of the newspaper and clatter of kindling has them come on the run, and even the most crackly of logs cannot scare them from their spot on the hearth, in fact that's where Tibby is right now.

Milo, on the other hand, is haunting the kitchen at the moment, hoping that one of us will put food in his bowl so that he can turn his nose up at it, the skinniest Maine Coon in the world.

Even though they are not litter mates, something there was that bonded the two of them before they came to us as kittens, and they clearly love each other. They cuddle and chirp and wrestle and play, quite content to spend their days together. It's just gravy if we happen to be home, too.

Heavy

With acknowledgement to the folks over at Two Writing Teachers, for the last 13 years on our first day back from Winter Break, my students have selected One Little Word to capture something they want in the New Year. The assignment is revealing about each individual, but the congregate collection of words is also somewhat revealing about the group, or maybe even the times.

For example, this year, a full 20 percent of the students chose the word "balance" as something they want in their lives. In their explanations they wrote such things as:

I choose balance because I can’t balance my homework with what I do at home. Sometimes I need to do my homework when I wake up, or late at night. 

My one one word for 2020 is balance. I sit in front of a screen a lot now because I got a computer. What I would like to do it get outside more and read more books. 

Balance also can apply to sleep because if I get more sleep I will have more energy so moving through the day will be easier. 

Having balance is important so I don’t have to stress and try doing 2 things at once. 

Balance would help me keep track and make time for things I need to take priority on to keep me stable. 

To me, balance means having time to do other things and try new things without having to cut something daily you do. 

I should make a schedule with a time when I have free time, food time, shower time and chores time. That’s why I want to be more balanced in 2020 or the rest of my life.

it’s hard to balance all of this struggle and pain on this thing we call life

As an adult, I value balance greatly, and I know how hard it is to find and keep, but it makes me a little sad that kids of 11 and 12 are having the same struggle.

Too Close to See

I suggested an audiobook to my mother, to help us wile away the long hours in the hospital, and she agreed. "Ann Patchett has a new novel," I told her, "and the book is narrated by Tom Hanks."

"That sounds good," she said, and I promptly downloaded it to my phone, but we never had the chance to listen together. Later, when I was driving back and forth from the Cities to fetch first my brother, then my sister, then my aunt from the airport to my mom's side, I listened to the first few hours myself.

The Dutch House is a story of siblings devoted to each other through the loss of their parents, a tale perhaps so close to home that it wasn't until this afternoon, when I wept not at the ending, but because it was over, that I realized how resonant it was.

Blackout Workout

It took a long time for those huge halogen lights hanging from the rafters in the gym to come back on after we were plunged into darkness for a minute or two. I was happily (okay, begrudgingly) jogging along on the treadmill when everything went dark. My machine stopped, but since my music kept going, it took me a minute to put all the details together and realize that it was a power outage. By the time I tapped the pause button on my phone and removed those new wireless earbuds, the big TV screens on the wall were coming back on, but all 6 of them were filled with snow. The exercise equipment blinked once and then twice, and then invited me to begin my workout, but I declined for the moment, instead trying to figure out what the protocol was. The weight area was completely dark, and the lifters were filing up to the dim emergency lit area by the front desk. The studio was very dark also, and Heidi was in there jumping rope, so I went to check on her. She was happily skipping away, no illumination necessary. I wandered back out to the main machine zone, where by now most folks had resumed their running, walking, stair-stepping, and crosstreking, eerie shadows in the gloom. As for me? The aerobic portion of my workout was over, but a little dark weight training sounded good, so I stuffed my earbuds back in and walked into the shadows cast by the faint glow of the slowly reviving overhead lights.

A Measure of Success

The dealership where I have the car serviced is newly remodeled, and I helped myself to some popcorn and a cup of Earl Grey tea and settled into a comfy leather chair to wait. A tableful of magazines was spread out in front of me, and I plucked the one devoted to the best of all our hometown has to offer. Flipping through the pages to get to the list of best restaurants, my eye caught an article about growing up biracial in our fair city. I started to read before looking at the byline, but when I did turn to see who had written such a thoughtful and moving essay, I saw the name of a former student.

How proud I was of her! And how gratified as well in the small part I knew for sure I had played in her accomplishment.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

(Sing it, friends!)

My cousin brought to me

24
porcelain
birds

which famously belonged
to my grandmother
and I haven't seen them

in
48
years

Wow, what a flock!
Sitting on the table
Wondering where they are
and what is going to happen next.

Detective Circumstantial

As is our New Year tradition, we saw the first movie of the day this morning. Knives Out came highly recommended and it was an enjoyable, twisty, little mannered murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie and Clue. We didn't leave the detecting behind in the theater, either.

Later in the day, as we were walking around the Tidal Basin, I came upon a huge broken piece of heavy cast iron. It appeared to be the base of a column, and scanning the area, I saw that the bottom of one of the decorative light poles lining the road was shattered. It was a good thirty feet from us, and so the impact that tossed the base, which itself must have weighed 100 pounds, must have been very great.

"Wow!" I said to Heidi. "Whoever hit that pole must have been going really fast!" I pointed to the road and the grass, shaking my head as we continued on our way. A few steps ahead, we found an empty champagne bottle. "He was probably drinking this!" I deduced. And next there was a perfectly knotted silk necktie, also in the grass "And here's his tie!"

Not surprisingly? We got back to our car before the case was solved.