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17671. arkymalarky - 11/30/2005 7:22:08 PM Oh man, so close and yet so far! Katrina brought a couple of kids to my school for a couple of weeks, and that was about it. We tried to get someone to live in the upstairs part of our house, but between FEMA, the Red Cross, and the local housing authority I never could get anywhere. We had one family who would have liked to come, but they had five cats, and we have no way to protect cats from becoming dog treats for our two very large dogs.
I'm still loving the classroom, but tough state rules that are very hard on small, rural, poor schools have got me planning retirement within the next five years or so. 17672. arkymalarky - 11/30/2005 7:25:02 PM If she's anything like her Mom, she'll continue to very well I suspect. :)
Thanks. I hope she'll one-up me.
Take care! 17673. labwabbit - 11/30/2005 7:31:17 PM Sadly, Arkus, that a story I hear with increasing frequency these days. "No child left behind". My daughter teaches HS for the moment. The horror stories are bizarre on a good day. She is pursuing a career in state law enforcement/forensics, and will start academy this week I believe.
She always wanted to be a teacher as long as I can remember, but to reconsider a move to a state police force after a relatively short time...what's a parent to do...or say?
Some say teaching is a good fight...more are saying it's not a fair fight.
In any event, I hope you can hang on to the finish tape. Life really begins after your "first" retirement anyway. This I know!
Keep the faith.
Hope to see you soon. 17674. labwabbit - 11/30/2005 7:39:40 PM One more thing.
Thanks for the link alistair. 17675. arkymalarky - 11/30/2005 8:56:26 PM That's so sad to me, because the public education system needs people like your daughter so badly, and a few adjustments in the system would help so many kids who need not only a good education, but hope and inspiration--especially disadvantaged ones--by keeping competent and caring people in the profession.
A friend of mine who teaches in a very poor, high-minority rural school that was recently consolidated (over 90% of the kids there qualify for the federal free and reduced lunch and breakfast program) put it best, though surely it's been said before: For most of the kids we serve, school is the best place they ever get to be.
One unsolicited word wrt your daughter's situation, from personal experience, and that is that it's very worth giving teaching another shot in another district before leaving the profession. I was told many times not to quit after the first year, and I almost did it anyway. It was the year from hell in a number of ways. In retrospect, I can't imagine having enjoyed doing anything else with as little stress for 25 years. The stress I have had in recent years is not from my job, but from fighting to get fair treatment for rural and poor schools.
I'll definitely hang on as long as the school I'm in now is open. Our size and poverty are disadvantages, but we're one of the few districts in the state that hasn't been put on some sort of list by the state ed dept as deficient in one area or another. If they require local funding of state-required facilities upgrades, that's the most likely thing to kill us. Our campus is beautiful, neat, and well-kept, but it's not new, to say the least. 17677. Ulgine Barrows - 12/1/2005 10:37:46 AM wabbit, this is beneath you.
(that is meant cover the whole season, not to piss off the Christmas sensitive)
You are near a beach, why not use it?
I get up every morning and remember the beach is gone. 17678. Ulgine Barrows - 12/1/2005 11:18:58 AM wabbit, you know you wouldn't trade lives
Hang in there 17679. judithathome - 12/1/2005 5:46:26 PM Once again, I have no idea what Ulgine is talking about...
That holiday comment was in reference to a heated debate about the godless trying to kill Christmas by saying Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas. "Godless" being a relative term meaning anyone not of the correct Christian persuasion in this country. 17680. Ms. No - 12/1/2005 7:37:06 PM What's wrong with Happy Holidays? It's not like Christmas is the only holiday even Christians celebrate, you know. What about Thanksgiving? What about the New Year? It's a whole holiday season fer pity's sake. Talk about a persecution complex. 17681. thoughtful - 12/1/2005 7:39:41 PM That's like many years back when i read the comics and such in the newspaper, i used to read ann landers and there was a dust up about the expression "have a nice day" and they didn't know where it came from and thought it was terrible and somehow discourteous. I couldn't understand that. Would they rather someone said, "hope you get hit by a truck"?
17682. Jenerator - 12/1/2005 7:47:25 PM I say Merry Christmas for Christmas, Happy New Year for New Years and Happy Thanksgiving for Thanksgiving.
I never say "Happy Holidays", but maybe that's an individual thing. 17683. Jenerator - 12/1/2005 7:55:49 PM Have a Happy non-denominational colorless winter break... 17684. Magoseph - 12/1/2005 8:00:44 PM Happy Holidays, everyone!
I just admired in Sex& Gender my caboose as Ms. No calls it--nice caboose, thanks, Wonks!
Yesterday, we fought with the snow and then with the garage’s doors that didn’t open. Flexy couldn’t remember where the electricity box was and since he drove me crazy complaining about the cold, I sent him back to the house and took care of the matter eventually.
Each of us lost a good leather glove and it was horrible taking turns to take the dog for a walk. We weren’t fit to talk to each other civilly for a while, I tell you; anyway, enough complaining for the moment.
I was so glad to see that Lab didn’t forget us. Come back soon, dear Lab!
Hi, Jen. 17685. Jenerator - 12/1/2005 8:13:26 PM Hi Mags! 17686. alistairconnor - 12/1/2005 8:15:36 PM Yes, magnificent caboose. Unfortunately, my proxy at work didn't block it, and I was glancing furtively over my shoulder for a while. 17687. jayackroyd - 12/4/2005 6:35:17 PM This isn't much of review, but I really like this book. there's an .
In the interest of full disclosure, my wife is the American editor, and would like to see it do well in the stores. But I think it's a great story, well told and thrilling, and hope some of you will take a look at it. 17688. thoughtful - 12/5/2005 5:09:39 PM I've been invited to a friend's house for a xmas party and included in the activities is to bring a gift for a yankee swap. Anyone ever hear of it? I had not. I looked it up on the net and decided that in gaming terms, the first person has it best, the #2 person is worst off.
The idea is sort of like a grab bag with a twist. Everyone who brings a gift also gets to pick a number and gifts are drawn in that number. The first person gets a gift. The second person gets a gift and can keep it or swap it for what the 1st person rec'd. The third person gets a gift and can keep it or swap for what either #1 or #2 have, and so on. After all gifts have been drawn, the first person gets the final choice to keep his/her gift or swap for any of the other gifts. 17689. Ms. No - 12/5/2005 6:13:26 PM My extended family is so large that we do this every year. Everyone who's able gathers at my Aunt's house on Christmas Eve and we do a potluck and then the gift exchange you described. A small gathering is 15 people, if everybody shows it's nearly 40, but haven't had everyone together for a number of years. Usually it's about 25 - 30. 17690. alistairconnor - 12/5/2005 6:17:36 PM potluck potlatch? 17691. Ms. No - 12/5/2005 6:20:54 PM Ha! Yes!
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