A Vent

This year a new/old school was added to my schedule. I was completely demoralized. I had worked at this school 15 years earlier and was getting comfortable working in the same building with a classroom and equipment every day of the week. I tried to be positive. And in fact I met Newfrienddebbie who is a soul mate kind of good friend, so it wasn't completely horrible.

However, when this happened I was too angry to speak of it much. I knew that there would be no quelling the storm that was raging against the powers that be. Now that there are only a few more days left to teach at this school, it's time to loosen up a little.

The teachers "lounge" is actually a long narrow half of a stage. For the first six months, my official space (where I can leave my coat) was a desk underneath a dripping pipe. One would be sitting there during a planning period having been told that "the drip was fixed' only to discover otherwise with either a wet laptop, lunch, notebook or otherwise.

The stage curtain is all that separates this lounge/work area and elementary kids eating lunch. In late February, in the interest of safe schools a locksmith, appeared to fix the lock on the side door that leads to the stage. All I can figure is that there is some sort of defense shield in place that I don't know about between these two areas.

At one time I had some pictures to share of this area but they were too depressing to run into when I was looking at pictures of the Liza Jane

The principal at this school does a good job, but when it comes to National Teacher's Week, I would rather a short note of appreciation (NOT IN ALL CAPS AS THE NOTE INFORMING US OF OUR GIFT BAG WAS.)

These are the items in the gift bag. Insert appropriate and clever "plays on words" about having "drive" and being a real "gem" and being worth "a million bucks" not realizing that "worth your weight in gold" was a much better match with the waxy chocolate coins.

When traveling from room to room, I roll equipment on a cart when I feel like it. I carry in a ukulele and a Bose iPod dock when I don't. Because most classroom teachers do not give me enough room to actually bring the cart into the room, more often than not I go for the latter. In this particular room, my "place to be" is usually the table pictured below. This afternoon when I entered the room, the classroom teacher said, "I hope my strawberries don't get in your way."

And then later, while I was teaching, she dropped off another container of them. Apparently my "polite grunt of indifference" said to her "Please may I have another?"

 

The number of teachers coming in and out to work in this building exceeds the number of parking spaces available. These spaces are also tightly packed, at an angle, and a little tricky to maneuver. I have been asked to move my car over so that it was a centimeter within the one next to it so that someone else could have enough room to actually get out of their car.

Today as I was attempting to leave I was faced with this:

 

My car is the one trapped between the two cars. Fortunately, I am good friends with the woman who drives the car in front of me. I went to her room, borrowed her keys, double parked her car and while it was running, proceeded to move my car. Before I could put my car in gear someone pulled into the "spot" and tried to block me in again. She backed up and let me out. I informed her that there was another car that had been in that spot that had to be returned there.

She loudly and rudely announced to me that " I AM THE CROSSING GUARD AND I MUST HAVE A PLACE TO PARK! DO YOU EVEN WORK HERE?" (Nevermind that there was a parking place about 10 ft. away in a lot a little further from her crossing guard duties. Also nevermind that all kids had crossed, it was the end of the day and there was absolutely no guarding to do.) she did leave me enough space to slide my friends car back into its place. She was also out of there before I returned to my car.

I know it's small. I know it's petty but my head was ready to explode. I have three more visits to the school. One visit is during the big testing week, one visit is during a scheduled field day (why yes, some schools schedule field day on the music teachers day instead of the physed teacher....NOT) and a program that will be more a casual showcase of third graders rather than an official "thing."

This is a school year that I will not be sad to see pass. Did I mention that I'll be going on an Alaskan cruise this summer? Sometimes I am already there.