Sad Necessity

News today that all district professional learning for our system-wide PD day tomorrow has been canceled. Instead staff will be required to take Narcan administration training, as well as participate in another session about how to recognize the signs of opioid abuse.

After one student overdose death in a local high school last week and many emergency calls across the county schools to treat other kids, I know this is important training and knowledge for all secondary school personnel in our area.

But what a world.

Can Do

When my school organized a mentor group for girls, I was on the fence about volunteering. Years ago, I was a mentor, and I stayed connected to the same student all through middle school and beyond. In fact, she's in her early thirties now, and I'm friends with her on social media, following along as she works on a career and has adopted a rescue dog and cat. 

But this time around, I'm a lot older and, I confess, a bit curmudgeonly. Even though I still have a good rapport with my students, and we have fun in class, I was concerned about spending unstructured time with a kid I don't even teach. What could we possibly have in common? I found out in early December when we met for lunch in my classroom. Well, it was supposed to be lunch, but she didn't bring anything with her, claiming to rarely eat in the middle of the day.

We did not have that in common, because I am always starved for lunch, but we were able to make small talk about the World Cup, her family, and school. "What's your favorite snack?" I asked her.

"I love fruit!" she said. "Especially watermelon. It's my favorite."

Fortunately the mentor program is much more formal than the one twenty years ago. There are monthly activities for the kids and the adults organized by the counseling staff and funded by the school. In January we did a spa afternoon with face masks and finger nail painting, and today we decorated Valentine's Day cookies. January wasn't really my scene, and my mentee wasn't there so I bagged a little early. Today I was equally convinced she would be a no-show because she hadn't replied to my reminder message, but I headed down anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The girls had fun with the cookies, and my mentee even won the door prize. At the end of the afternoon, we arranged to have lunch again on Friday. 

"I'll bring the watermelon!" I told  her.

We're Quits

When I was a kid, it was the Sears holiday wish book that was our go to catalog when it came to making our Christmas lists. And the Sears outlet store in the next town over was always my mom’s first stop for school shopping.

When I moved to Arlington as a young adult, Sears had a big presence here, not only as a mainstay mid-priced department store, but also in the many neighborhood examples of the mail order houses they sold through the Sears catalog from 1908-1942.

And down in Atlanta, right around the corner from my sister, on the BeltLine in the Old Fourth Ward, Ponce City Market, a mixed-use development with a food hall, restaurants, upscale shopping, apartments, office space and a mini-golf course on the roof is a cool example of a repurposed Sears distribution center. Visiting there, though, I’ve always been a little sad that the company’s loss has been our gain.

Yeah, I’ve been a loyal Sears supporter for nearly sixty years, all through the ups but mostly downs of the company. Then, after the whole refrigerator fiasco yesterday, today SEARS called to say that the refrigerator we ordered on November 27, which had been delayed three times, was now discontinued, and we would have to select a different model.

I think that might be the last straw Sears.

Cold Truth

We had hit up our neighbors to borrow their coolers in preparation for the arrival of our new refrigerator today, but it occurred to me last night that the whole world would be a refrigerator today, when the high temperature was only supposed to be 32. 

No coolers necessary, I rose at 8 AM and packed the contents of the freezer and fridge in reusable shopping bags and set them out on our deck. Then I pulled out the empty appliance and cleaned behind and underneath it, not wanting to subject the delivery and installation techs to a couple of years worth of side spills and cat hair. And I was just finishing up when my phone rang. 

Perfect timing! I congratulated myself, but I was disappointed to hear a recorded voice telling me that our delivery had been delayed a third time and directing me to dial a toll free number as soon as possible. Pity the operator who answered my call! I was courteous but clearly displeased, and he soon elevated my call. The next person I spoke to acknowledged my frustration and offered me 42 dollars for my inconvenience. 

I laughed out loud, at which point she doubled the compensation and promised to have my fridge to me by Wednesday. "It would cost me more than 84 dollars to take off from work," I told her, which I think is true-- I'll be compensated for my unused leave when I retire. Her best offer was 126 dollars and a Saturday appointment, which I accepted with the understanding that any further delays will result in the cancelation of the order. I hung up and turned to my empty refrigerator. 

The problem with it is a clogged freezer drain which results in water flowing into the main compartment whenever the compressor defrosts. I had watched videos on how to clear the clog, but it would involve me removing the icemaker before I could access the drain. After my stove fiasco, I didn't have the will to attempt such a feat, and since our fridge is 19 years old, my research told me that a new, more energy-efficient appliance would have us break even within a year or two. 

But the freezer was empty, and I thought long and hard about what it would take to pull that icemaker out. In the end, I attempted to unclog it from the freezer side with some very hot water. Then I scrubbed that old fridge within an inch of its remaining days and hoped for the best. 

Maybe it's fixed? But probably not. It does still chill, though, and it's sparkling clean. It can last at least another couple of months if necessary, and I'm thinking that's likely.

If It Ain't Broke

"So I was thinking about this question in the shower," I said to my first class of the day today as they posted their answers to What is your favorite cereal?

"Wait! What?" they exclaimed. 

"Are you surprised about the shower or the thinking?" I laughed. 

But what I told them was that I realized that when their A Day peers had answered the question the day before, almost every cereal they mentioned was one that had been around when I was a kid, fifty years ago or more. And the same held true today: Lucky Charms, Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, and Coco Puffs were among their favorites. A few cereals that were new when I was a teen, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Reeses were also mentioned, but almost everything else was on the shelf when my brother and sister and I used to go shopping with my dad on Saturday afternoons. I really have to wonder how the breakfast cereal industry has been spending its time.

There was one product mentioned that I had never heard of before, though. A couple of kids named Krave as their favorite, and one was even enthusiastic enough to post a picture. It seems that Krave is a Cap'n Crunch type shell filled with chocolate cream. 

Friends, it's been a long time since I've been down the cereal aisle (I'm more of a yogurt or oatmeal or avocado toast type of a gal these days), but Krave? I might just have to try it. 

After sugar-free February, of course.

Commercial Success

My friend Mary and I always say that if we can make it past the essay unit, the rest of the school year is an easy, downhill glide. The kids usually love the media literacy unit where they make a commercial; they enjoy writing fiction; the 100 Day Writing Challenge is novel and engaging; poetry is fun; and the unit where they interview another student is also high-interest. Cap that off with teacher for a day at the end of the year, and the next 4 1/2 months seem easy peasy, on paper at least.

And if the lesson today on persuasive techniques and how they can be used to manipulate us was any indication? 

We have totally got this.

Again!

Tough Crowd

"Our friend actually asked me what kind of graphic organizer I recommended for the article he was reading," one of my colleagues reported of a challenging student at our team meeting today. "And when I told him I could see using either a timeline or a description and suggested a combination? He said, 'good point.' I see that as a win!" she laughed.

"Amazing!" I agreed. "And you've definitely got me beat. I was just happy when he said goodbye on his way out of class today!"