My least favorite holiday

I have never liked halloween, but the older my kids get, the more of a pain in the arse this "holiday" turns out to be. I have argued until I am blue in the face with my 14 year old, who insists she is not too old to be trick-or-treating. Someone else told me they draw the line at facial hair, so maybe she isn't too old yet, but my gut says when they are taller than me, it's time to quit. Then the older daughter asks if she can have a friend sleep over. It's a school night, I say. It's halloween, she says. Fine, I say. I'm too tired to keep this up any longer. I might be spared the younger one going anywhere as she has been sick for the last few weeks with a strange fever that comes and goes. If she has a fever, then oh well! Can't go anywhere.
My students are not allowed to dress up for halloween, thank goodness. It's too much of a distraction. However, they are 12 year olds, and they LOVE halloween. They will push the limits, I am sure. The best part is that my principal, in her infinite wisdom, chose TODAY as picture day. This should be interesting.

Work is not so good...

I knew teaching special ed would be challenging. Just like the rest of the job though, it isn't the actual teaching or the students. It's the parents, and the meetings. Yesterday the two combined and the result was my spending two hours after school twiddling my thumbs while the special ed coordinator listened to some parents bitch about how we're not doing right by their son. Very little of it was about how their son is kind of a creep and has no sense of personal responsibility whatsoever about his education. His mom kept saying things like, "You guys just don't understand how hard life is for him" and "It's really hard parenting him" and "You guys just don't know how hard it is for him to learn."
WHATEVER. Parenting is hard, period. Learning is hard too. Both require effort.
At the end of the meeting, she gave me a copy of an article she printed off the internet titled "How to teach children with ADD." I could barely conceal my contempt. I wish I could hand her an article that goes something like "How not to turn your kid into a dependent asshole" or "How to take responsibility for your own shit instead of trying to put it on everyone around you." The sad part is that the kid is far more capable than his parents allow him to be. If he had to take responsibility for his actions, he would be working at or near grade level. As it is, he doesn't have to do his own homework, he doesn't have to take responsibility for his part in his education, and he gets to blame me every time he doesn't understand his math. Whether he so much as had a pencil in his hand while I was teaching, or followed along while I showed him how to do the problems, is irrelevant.
The end result is I left home before the sun came up yesterday, and didn't get home until after it was dark. I still had to get dinner on the table and finish up my lesson plans for today. (I got my planning period taken away yesterday because of an assembly that I was required to attend.) I don't get paid enough to live this kind of life. Today I have another meeting after school, the same kind as yesterday. I already know this kid's father, and the way he pores over each individual assignment in my gradebook and questions me about each one. I went to school for this??

Is it just me?

I chaperoned a school dance yesterday after school. This is a middle school, so the youngest kids there were about 10 years old, and the oldest around 13. I must be getting really old, because I was (and still am) horrified at what I saw and heard. The girls all learned how to dance watching MTV and VH1, so when they weren't shaking what they have of chests, they were swinging their little booties back and forth like they meant business. Some of them danced exactly like the girls in the hip-hop videos. It's bad enough to see grown women doing these things. It's very disconcerting to see a ten year old do it.
I don't know if my principal is completely clueless about music or if she just decided to ignore it. The DJ played "Promiscuous" (I can see you with nothing on, feeling on me before you bring that on) followed by SexyBack (I’m bringing sexy back, Them other fuckers don’t know how to act, Come let me make up for the things you lack, Cause your burning up I gotta get it fast) followed by London Bridge (I'm such a lady but I'm dancing like a ho (Oh, snap), 'cause you know I don't give a fuck so here we go! (Oh snap)) and many more. Is it just me, or is this completely inappropriate? The other teachers didn't seem to think anything of it. If it were a high school, it might be ok, but I wonder if the parents of these 10 year olds know what they are hearing?

I got help!!

The school finally hired a special ed teacher. He is going to team teach the three special ed math classes with me! HOORAY!! He just started yesterday, but already my life is so much easier. I have only been working 8 1/2 hour days! Right now he is observing and getting to know the kids. He seems to have a really good knack for seeing what needs to happen and then just doing it, which is just unbelievably nice. I have to be careful not to steamroll over him though. I have a way of doing that.
Other random thoughts:
Today I assigned my 7th graders the odd problems. I forgot they don't know what odd numbers are.
I was emailing a guy who responded to my ad for a dance partner. We decided to go ahead and meet, so I gave him my cell phone number. He proceeded to call me (for the first time) close to midnight on Saturday. WTF? There went that idea.
I haven't had any responses to my online dating profile in weeks.
My oldest daugher and the boy with facial hair have already broken up and got back together. LORD.

but it's my JOB to torture you!!

My older daughter has a new boy in her life. It's the BOY WITH FACIAL HAIR. He is a senior and his grandparents bought a car for him to use. She wants him to be able to drive her around. (Geez, Mom, that's what boyfriends DO!! What is your PROBLEMUHHHHHH!!!) I told her that when he convinced me that he was a good driver, then I would allow him to drive her. She wanted me to tell him how to do that, and I refused for a day or so, and then finally had mercy on them. I asked her how she knew what kind of driver I was, and she said because she has been in the car with me. There ya go, I said. She got this incredulous look on her face. (Really, it was quite funny.) She said, "You mean you want him to DRIVE YOU AROUND??" I asked her how else I would know whether or not he was good at it?
So the young man wanted to do this after volleyball practice last night. I told him where to drive, and I sat in the back seat while the two of them sat in the front. Then I proceeded to bombard him with questions the whole time he was driving. "Where are your parents? You live with your grandparents? Why? Where did you move here from? Do you have a job? Where are you planning on going to college? Who pays for the insurance? Who pays for the gas? Have you had any accidents? What about tickets?"
He copped to one speeding ticket, which was good because if he told me he didn't have any I would have assumed he was lying. He went exactly five miles per hour over the speed limit. He used his turn signal and drove very well in spite of my interrogation. All in all, I was impressed. He did answer his cell phone twice while driving, which I could not let go without comment. I threatened him with bodily harm should she ever be injured because of him being careless. I gave him a little speech about how he can't possibly understand what it's like as a parent to allow your child's life to be put in someone else's hands. In the end, I gave him permission to drive her around IF she calls me first to tell me where they are going and then calls me when they arrive.
Seriously though, it's all I can do not to run around waving my arms and screaming for all of this madness to just STOP. I had another talk with her tonight, because tonight he is driving her home from their weekly school social at the local coffee house, and told her that if she EVER feels like she is in an unsafe position (he's had something to drink, he got high, she decided he's not a safe driver, whatever) that she can call me and I will not say a word about anything. I will just come and get her, no questions asked. I won't demand she stop seeing him, I won't say a word about any of it. I gave her my word and I really hope I can live up to it, if that ever happens.

true.com = dirty old men

I filled out a profile at True.com because they had a free 7-day trial offer. What could it hurt? WELL. Let me tell you. First of all, when I filled out my profile, the next thing they wanted me to do was take a compatibility test. Not at all unusual for a dating website. That's how they make the claim that they will use scientifically based methods to find your "true love" or "soul mate" or whatever they like to call it. The next thing they wanted me to do was take a sexual compatibility test. Huh?? I didn't do it, because I am not looking to sleep with these people, I just want to MAYBE date them.
So, over the next few days I received six "winks." The Rules say not to respond to winks, because all it takes is a click and does not show enough interest on the part of the man. I agree. The trouble was when I looked at who was sending me the winks. One lived in a different city. Another lived in a different state. The rest were all over 55 years old. EWWW! One of them was 61!! WHAT THE HELL? I am 37 years old!! What the HELL would I want to do with a freaking dirty old man who is older than my father?? :::shudder:::
Thankfully, when I called to cancel the account, they did not hassle me at all. That is a redeeming feature in my opinion. All the guy did was offer me a free month, and I said listen, it's not about the money. I'm so grossed out right now. The men who show interest are my dad's age.
He just kind of chuckled and cancelled my account without another word.
*sigh*

School Shootings

What is happening in our schools? The recent increase in violence at schools by non-students and non-faculty is stunning and frightening. As a teacher, I read articles like this and I am actually fearful about going to work. As a parent and as a teacher, I wonder why this issue is not at the forefront of the next board meeting? What is being done to protect my children? What is being done to protect me?
I believe there is a connection between the violence in schools and the shift in public attitude about schools in general. I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard "Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach." This during a conversation about why my job is or is not important, and people have not quoted that to me once, but several times. Another good one is, "What kind of person would take a job that pays so low? It tells me you can't get anything better." A parent said that to me during a discussion about sports at our school.
I grin and bear it, and figure that people just don't understand my job or why I love it. I am starting to think that those kinds of comments are just the peaks of a mountain of ignorance and disrespect toward schools in general.
Maybe people in all service jobs have to put up with this, and maybe I am reacting out of sheer ignorance because I am new at the job. But how does it occur to an angry madmad to take out his grudge on school children?
How does it occur to angry teenagers that the best way to show the world who they are is to kill their classmates?
How does it occur to a student angry about a disciplinary action that killing the principal is the best option?
Since 1997, there have been 21 episodes of school violence. That averages out to just over two incidents per year. Statistically, the chance of something happening at my school or my kids' school is astronomically low. Here's the thing: As a teacher, I can point out the wacko kid who is most likely to show up with a gun and start shooting. I can refer you to the angry-at-the-world parent who is frightening to be around and probably carries a gun, but has every right to come on campus whenever he wants because his kid is in one of my classes. What can I do about these situations? Absolutely nothing. I could try referring the student to the school psychologist, who is there about three days a week because we share her with another school, and who is so busy with the anti-bullying program that is mandated by the district that she rarely actually sees students of concern. Even if she made time to see him, she has to tell his parents that she is doing it, and they have the right to refuse to let him see her. I can let my administration know about my concerns with this or that parent, but it's nothing they haven't heard and don't already know.
So what do I do? I practice lockdown procedures until I know them backwards and forwards. I lock my room after school hours. I pray. I wish I knew what to do to make this situation better.

Holy cow, I'm busy!!

How exciting! I have a date Monday night, my oldest daughter's volleyball game (she's the captain of the team) Wednesday night and then I'm taking the kids to a Halloween show at Old Tucson after that, then Thursday I check in to a fancy schmancy hotel for a leadership conference that lasts until Sunday morning. Sunday evening I have a possible tango lesson as it appears I have found a willing partner! (He's quite handsome to boot!)
So, I have only one night this week to sit at home on my arse. I better enjoy it. I bet I will enjoy the tango lesson and the pool at the fancy schmancy hotel even more. Isn't life grand!