I try not to be cynical.

My asst. principal calls me Friday afternoon, the second day she's spent with my dear student MC., and says "We have to do something about this student." And I want to say NO SHIT what do you think I've been telling you for the last five weeks?

"Have you tried telling him 'no'?" she asks me.

I start laughing.

"No, I'm serious," she says.

"Of course I have, are you kidding me?"

This is my support. After five weeks and a little personal experience, she finally gets it. Maybe she should spend the day with J and MD and A and D and have a little taste of them, too.

Not that there aren't bigger issues in other classrooms. I heard that one student allegedly peed on the other asst. principal. He was suspended for two days. And E. who used to be in my class is apparently wreaking havoc in his new class, possibly worse than he did in mine. I was passing the music room the other day and glanced in. A child was in there alone with the music teacher.

"E? Is that you?"

"Hi Ms. Lowe."

"How are you?" he comes and hugs me.

"Look, I got this big coin." He shows me a silver Big Y coin, the supermarket token that allows you discounts, if you remember to carry them in your purse which I sometimes do.

"Oh yeah! I know those coins! I use them at the grocery store."

"Here." He gives it to me.

"You keep that," I tell him.

"No. Take it," he says.

"Thank you so much!" I put it in my back pocket.

I went grocery shopping Friday night and bought myself a bouquet of flowers, using the coin as a discount. I'll have to tell him about that.

I've pretty much decided I won't be going back there next year, though I said that last year too.
It's Sunday now and beautiful out and I'm so cranky b/c I have to do lesson plans and go to work tomorrow. Of course I have to go to work tomorrow.

I try not to be cynical.

I watched the movie "Freedom Writers" the other day. Erin Gruewell (sp?) teaching post Rodney King in massive gang afflicted part of LA. Very moving. Amazing. And she, as a teacher, the sacrifices - getting two extra jobs to buy the student books, all the after school and weekend time. I read the book as well.

I'm good, but I'm not that good. Her marriage suffered (and ended in divorce). But what a difference she made. Two books and movie later, still inspiring people everywhere. She taught high school. Ms. N my para keeps telling me I should be teaching high school, but I'm not certified for that. More school? More training? Don't I have enough already, two Masters and two Montessori certifications? And my second masters is barely paid off.

I taught pre-school for ten years and moved up to elementary because I was really tired of the limited conversations during the day. "Oh, you're daddy gave you a new teddy bear?" "Wow, you had a hot dog for breakfast? Yes, that IS so funny!" You know... delightful, sure, and sometimes hysterical, but I was aching for intelligent conversation by the time ten years was up.

I also worked with babies for a year in an infant center. Talk about feeling self indulgent!!! I talked to them constantly, and never had to stop very long to listen what they were saying to me. I loved working with babies, though that too, got old. Imagine all the diapers. And there were days that there were only two of us adults and sometimes 8 to 10 babies. Those were not the best days.

Elementary is definately more satisfying - there is a wonderful curiosity and developing sense of humor - there is a gigantic step in social development - yes, I'm happy to have moved up a few years, but again, sometimes, "She said your mother smells like dookie? C'mon, are you kidding me? Do you really have to talk to each other like this?"

Maybe high school is the next best thing. Or maybe it would be better to skip straight to college. Or hell, can I just pass Go and teach graduate students?