In My Defense

Most people have heard Coco Chanel's famous advice about fashion and accessorizing: "Before leaving the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off." Even though I'm rather a minimalist myself when it comes to that area, I've found those words to be helpful in several other parts of my life.

For example, as teachers, we are often told to over-plan our lessons, since it's better to have too little time than the chaos that a few too many extra minutes at the end of a class might encourage. And, when planning a menu for a dinner party, I almost always re-evaluate as I'm cooking, and eliminate one or more component of some over-complicated dish, a decision I rarely regret.

But the times I find Chanel's advice most helpful are when I am replying to a parent concern about something that is going on in my class. Then, I find it best to start with a response that says everything I'm thinking: a defense that goes point by point and justifies any choice I've made, spotlights all the problems with the student, and sometimes even goes so far as to challenge the parent for even daring to question my judgment.

Of course I never hit send before looking in that metaphorical mirror and and cutting at least a third of the email. Oh, it's not hard to know which sections to delete... they are usually the ones that I like the most when I'm writing. And that's why they have to go-- because I wrote them for me, not for the parent, and certainly not for the good of the student.

Commuter Incentive

"So are you and Heidi driving together now?" a friend and former colleague I hadn't seen in a while asked me yesterday.

Even though we have lived and worked in the same place for over 20 years, until last year when they closed our school parking lot to build a whole elementary school in it, Heidi and I always drove separately.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "It's easier with the construction and parking situation. Plus we get a carpool stipend of 30 bucks each a month!"

She nodded. "How's it working out though? I know you don't like to be late."

"It hasn't been too much of a problem," I told her. "Heidi has been pretty good about getting ready on time, and for a dollar-fifty a day?" I winked. "I can be patient!"

A Tree Grows

When I got the invitation by email a few weeks ago, I was kind of on the fence. You are cordially invited to this year's service awards! Celebrating employees with 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 years of service.

With 25 years, I am on the low end of that spectrum, and award shindigs are not really my thing. A colleague who received the same invitation was more enthusiastic, and she encouraged me to go. My friend Mary, also on the list, was not inclined to attend. Undecided, I promptly forgot about the whole thing.

Today I had a few minutes of time between classes and meetings, and since the sun was shining, I decided to take a quick walk. We share our campus with a county park, and the paved path that circles the 2 soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts, and baseball diamond is about a half mile. Walking the loop, I found sky blue sharpie and a well-used baseball.

Pocketing the marker I continued on, tossing the ball from hand to hand. My mind wandered as I walked and I thought of the many times I had tread this trail over the past 25 years. How could it be so unchanged?

The path was lined with maple, oak, red bud, and crape myrtle. I figured that even the slowest growing of those adds a foot to its height each year, and I stopped, looked around, did a little math, and considered the way ahead.

Back in the building, my friend Mary reminded me of the service awards deadline. Without hesitation, I RSVPed 'yes' to the ceremony, and got Mary to agree to go, too.

All We Hoped it Could Be

Skimming through a few posts from my early-morning writers, it didn't take long for a theme to emerge:

It is Monday, ugh. I just want to go back to bed.

Monday. The second worst day of the week. I really just wanted to sleep in. 

I don’t like Mondays. Monday’s are always bad luck for me. 

It’s a Monday... Not a good day. 

Ugh Mondays. I really hate Mondays because they’re are the start of a new week, and it’s hard to adjust to waking up early in the morning.

Waking up on a Monday is the worst for me because I usually can’t get up. 

Ugh it’s Monday. I don't like Mondays, I hate it with a burning passion. 

Monday’s feel like a year they take so long.

I sighed and turned away from my laptop. Of course I could relate.

Just then the morning announcements came on the TV. As she does every Monday, our principal shared some words of wisdom. In light of the shootings in New Zealand, this morning her message was one centered on open-mindedness and freeing our minds from intolerance. At the end she played a few bars of Free Your Mind.

I looked around at my Monday-weary kids and realized that a little music was a great idea. Cleaning out their binders was next on our agenda.

"Organization dance party!" I declared, grabbing my phone and the Bluetooth speaker on my desk, and after a little more En Vogue I continued, "I'm taking requests!"

"Livin' on a Prayer!" suggested one student without hesitation.

A little Bon Jovi later, I asked again.

"Country Roads!" someone else shouted.

Who are these kids? I wondered as I blasted the John Denver song.

After that, the requests got a little more contemporary. We listened to Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran.

Most of the class was jamming as they recycled, hole-punched, and clipped, but one guy sat clicking his tongue disapprovingly. "What's the next song?" I asked him.

"How about peace and quiet?" he suggested archly.

I laughed and hit search. A minute later the song Peace and Quiet by Drew was playing.

It wasn't quite what that student meant, and he had to tolerate everyone else singing We Will Rock You and Something Just Like This until the bell rang, releasing 15 energized sixth graders into the rest of their Monday morning.

All Done

At the end of the weekend it's sometimes easy to feel disappointed about all the things I didn't cross off my ambitious to-do list. A stack of folders and my laptop are still in the pocket of my pack where I optimistically shoved them as I left my classroom on Friday afternoon. The new toilet paper holder is still in its box in the powder room (but the drill is in there, too, now!) The deck is unorganized, the garden uninspected, the refrigerator still cluttered with the last few bites of meals we ate too long ago to save.

But then, I consider the things we did that weren't even on the list. We walked with the dog in beautiful places both Saturday and Sunday. I dug out my camera and took a few photos I like. I discovered a new podcast, made a big breakfast this morning, and slept later than usual both days. I tried to find the exact words to describe the way the light sparkled on the water, talked to my mom on facetime, did a neighbor a favor, and sat quietly on a railway-tie wall as the sun warmed my face.

Oh, there's a busy week ahead, for sure, but I think I'm ready.

Reading Between the Signs

It was only 55 degrees when we set off today, and although the sky was clear and blue, the wind was brisk, so we bundled ourselves in flannel and down when we headed into the woods for a hike with our dog. The sun was still unfiltered through bare branches as we walked. No spring ephemerals peeked out from the brown leaf bed lining the trail; no chickadees, brown creepers, titmice, or nuthatches buzzed or warbled us on our way, and when we crossed over creeks and passed by ponds there were no turtles sunning or even the slightest peep from a frog.

Even so,

maybe it was the angle of the sun, the way the light, both golden and white, sparkled on the run and the river beyond and right into our eyes. Or maybe it was the trees that were just beginning to swell, or the holly and rhododendron that looked so fiercely evergreen. Maybe it was just a softness in the breezy air.

Something there was that told us that winter was gone.

Jumpster

Our dog is not allowed on any furniture except the bed-- there she makes herself quite at home, and we often find her stretched diagonally across it, belly up and snoring soundly. In addition to the bed, our cats are allowed on the couches and chairs, but never on the table or counters.

Understandably, different households have different rules for their pets, and since Lucy, our dog, visits other places, she has to adjust to different expectations. In general her hosts are more liberal than we are, welcoming her onto the couch and other furniture. Even so, she seems to grasp the concept of context, for the most part.

Over at her dog-walker's house, the rules are very canine-friendly: she boards guest dogs, and her house is set up to be as accommodating to them as possible. Because she has a couple of cats and a dog of her own, she usually keeps the cat food up on the 3-sided counter between her kitchen and dining room. Lucy knows not to counter surf-- nowhere she goes allows her to stand up and inspect the counter tops-- but evidently she didn't realize that actually jumping up there was forbidden as well.

It's kind of a surprise to find your 52-pound goldendoodle on the kitchen counter lapping up cat food. In fact it's just one of those rules you never thought you would have to teach her, and yet there she was when we went to pick her up the other day, just as proud as she could be.

The dog walker didn't seem upset at all. "You never should have taken her to agility," she shrugged.