Two Birds

I was talking to our school reading specialist at an end-of-the-year party this afternoon when my friend and fellow sixth grade English teacher, Mary, sat down. A little while later, the third sixth grade English teacher joined us, too. We were chit-chatting about this and that when she said, "Oh, by the way, I won't be in school tomorrow. Sorry to miss our CLT meeting," she shrugged.

"I think we just had it!" said Mary.

Escalator

The only thing the service operators could tell me about my washer repair (or lack there of) was that they would "escalate" my concerns.

What does that mean? I asked, both in writing and in person.

The silence was long.

But not as long as the laundry has been in the hamper.

So Close, So Far Away

We had to cancel our end of the year scavenger hunt around the Tidal Basin today. For two years teams of kids visiting the monuments and hunting historical facts has been a fun and popular option for the final week of school, but this year, with a price tag of 25 bucks, only a handful of students signed up for the activity, and we couldn't cover the cost of the charter bus.

Truth be told, it seems ridiculous to pay hundreds of dollars for a ten-mile round trip, but that's a reality in our school system these days. Buses have never been available in the last couple weeks of school, and even when we can schedule them, all trips must be complete by 1 PM. Plus? A few years ago they cut the free transportation allotment to schools, forcing us to charge students even when we are taking a school bus during that narrow time frame. And so here we are, just minutes a way from some of the most famous attractions in the country and the world, places that other people travel miles and miles to visit, and yet it is nearly impossible to take advantage of them educationally.

Some of those funds might have been redirected to our 1:1 personal device initiative. We give all of our students an iPad, and even pay to repair and replace it as many times as necessary. It seems that, as a school system, our priority has shifted from real to virtual-- students are supposed to be able to access the world on the devices we give them-- and so we have virtually given up local reality.

Not News

In a prime example of people who don't actually teach making decisions for those of us who do, our county technology department has scheduled all of our laptops to be updated and re-imaged, and basically out of commission, for the same day our final grades are due.

Considering that our grades are fully automated and online, not having our computers might be a wee bit inconvenient. And in other news, our final grades are due a full week before school is out, which of course undermines any accountability students may have for lessons and assignments.

Okay, it's really not news, but it really is aggravating!

Un-stuffing

Maybe it was thrift-shopping yesterday that gave me the idea, or maybe it was the weather forecast, unseasonably chilly and pouring rain all day. From where ever the inspiration came, I spent all afternoon in the attic: sorting, organizing, tossing, and packing for donation. 6 contractor bags of trash, two banker boxes of shredding, and a car load to give away later, I was satisfied with my effort.

Oh, don't get me wrong, with 19 years of we might need that up there, you can barely tell that anything is missing.

BUT, today was only the beginning, and I like how far I got.

Second Hand

We were on our way out to a garden center this afternoon when it began rain. "Wanna stop over at the big thrift store and wait out the storm?" Heidi suggested, and so we did.

With nothing in particular to look for, we browsed through the clothes, on to the furniture, and then over to the housewares just looking for a deal. After scooping up a pair of three dollar Eddie Bauer cargo shorts to wear to the garden and a 1 quart All Clad pot for $4.99 (I know!), I amused myself by going back to the clothes and through the t-shirt rack.

More than any other items, this collection gave me a sense of where all this stuff had come from. Well-represented were local high school booster clubs, college Greek life events, and religious camps. There were also a few pro team fan shirts, some Abercrombie t's, and a couple of plain solid colored shirts from Hanes, Target, and Champion.

Nothing was more than $2.99, but in the end, I walked away without one, because none of them were really me. Probably because most of them were really somebody else.

Poet-three

It was one of my favorite days of the year in my class today-- our visiting poet friend came by to lead the students in some improv and poetry writing. Today the lesson was using the rule of three to compose tiny plays that are strung together to tell the story of the poet's life. As every year,  I participated fully, scribbling ideas furiously in my notebook alongside my kids.

Here are a few nuggets from my notebook:

I have been in my classroom
longer than in any home.
I love the way the sun shines
in my eyes on winter afternoons.
Being blinded helps me see.

A robin spent the morning buiding
her nest in the rafters of my deck.
When she flew away
I knocked it down before she could lay her eggs.

Sometimes when I walk the dog
in the early morning
I pretend I am the sole survivor
of some catastrophe.
I enjoy the silence.

On our first day at the beach
thousands of starfish
covered the sand,
and we thought it was normal.
We never saw another one.

A tiny mouse runs along the wall
of my classroom.
I know there is nothing for her to find.
I wish her no harm.

At night a fox
cries in the woods
across the way. It sounds
like something is dying.
Maybe it is.

When the sun makes a fishnet
of light at the bottom of the pool,
I dive in.