What the heck?!

I guess that is not a very original title, but then I am not really an expert in the art of swearing! I wish I could swear some obscenities right now, like a nonstop string of them. My inability, however, does not prevent me from getting my current frustration out of my system!

So, I write and share here, with my friends, in my safe space.

On Thursday, January 17^th, I accepted my first assignment to supply teach. That morning, I got a call 2 minutes after I dropped off Hans at his school. I dashed from there to this other school where my service and presence was needed. My first assignment was in a Special Education classroom. Yesterday, I took up another assignment at the same school. It was for half a day of Physical Education. I wasn’t aware that I was going to do that! Today, they called me back for a full day of Drama. They want me for the next 2 days as well. Tomorrow, I am filling in for a French teacher for half a day. Day after, I do not know!

I am an English teacher and I have been supply teaching randomly for other subjects. I taught Geography at one school and that was my weakest subject all through middle school and high school. That is why, I find myself in various classrooms and go “what the heck am I doing here?”

I have only done 7 supply teaching assignments – some half days and some full days. And I feel like I have been working forever. One half day took me to 5 different classrooms at 5 different grade levels. It was glorified babysitting and I swore to myself that I would be more discerning and make myself more useful!

But then again, do I really have a choice? I need 25 supply teaching days by June to stay on this gilded list. If I get all picky and choosy, they will get all picky and choosy on me!

One fine day, I may look back and smile. Right now, I am allowed to be upset.

Recently, I saw this show on Netflix. What one character said resonated with me! It was about loving your children, but not liking them. That is how I feel about my current employment – although I love teaching, I am not liking it right now!

 

Height, Weight and Other Technicalities

Last week, the boys had an appointment with their pediatrician. It was most likely ASid's last! In August, when he turns 18, we have to find ASid a "family doctor". Made it so ominous and official!

It was, as usual, a good visit. Both the boys show their remarkable differences even at their annual checkups. 

So, here are the unfortunate results. ASid is taller than Hans by 10 inches and heavier than Hans by 10 pounds. It seems terribly unfair given how one of them actually pursues sports and the other does not even care to watch sports on TV!

A few days prior to that, we had dinner together at a restaurant and I got a little reminiscent about ASid. I recollected how the boy moved from the regular Kindergarten program to the early French Immersion program and eventually to the French School Board all within a 5 year time frame and before he turned 9! Hans listened to it with fascination and once I wrapped up, he wanted to hear his own "super hero" story from his mother. I did not have an academic story about the little guy, but I did have something to share. I let Hans know that he got his first job at 5 years of age and he worked 3 consecutive summers and earned $2850 before he turned 8! He could have made more if his mother hadn't decided to take him in another direction.

Both the boys are accomplished in their own ways and they should never compare themselves to each other and feel inadequate or resentful in any way.

In my own life, I know men who define themselves with how much money they make or men who define themselves by their jobs. If you take away their money and their jobs, these men are nothing. They are unremarkable and have accomplished very little beyond the obvious and the materialistic.

I want the boys to go beyond their perceived limitations. They could be the shortest in a room, but be giants for people in their lives. They could be the heaviest in a room, but be capable of pulling their own weights and carrying others' if needed. They could be the poorest in a room, but be lavish with their positive actions, valuable time and kind words.

I want the boys to never ever forget that they will always have a choice and it is how they choose that will eventually define them.
 

Who is a good friend?

Hans got that question from his teacher yesterday. He has a week to respond to it.

It got me thinking.

Whenever I think of the word "friend", I think of Smoggie. And for him, a friend is someone who is kind, considerate and trustworthy. Those would be the basic fundamental traits for sure, but when I recently revisited the 20 years of friendship I have with Smoggie, I discovered other essential traits!

Smoggie and I were called "The Collective" by our boss. We were like The Two Musketeers with the same motto as the original Three. We always presented a united front. We weren't always united though. Privately, we had a couple of major meltdowns. But we worked through it. I guess what mattered was that we were there for each other and could not imagine not being together! That was where respect and forgiveness became the next two necessary traits we needed to be good friends.

Smoggie is certified Mensa and I could be certified Mental (or what my brother calls Cent-i-Mental). I am not trivializing any mental illnesses here. It is just that I react very emotionally in most situations and it is disturbing for others; especially those with a logical bent! But between friends, there develops a respect for differences and different perspectives. And when there are disagreements and words are said in anger, there is no ego in seeking forgiveness.

And that is when we need that quintessential trait - communication. Most relationships fail due to a lack of communication and friendships face the same danger.

So, I guess a good friend is kind, considerate, trustworthy, respectful, forgiving and communicative. Really, the traits could be an endless list of positive adjectives. And they could apply to a good parent or a good sibling or a good teacher!

Then, who is a good friend?

I will have to read Hans' paragraph to find out. Knowing the boy, he will have a simple take on it that would also be profound at the same time.

Maybe I will share it here!

Addendum (3 days later):

Here is Hans' take - A good friend listens to you when you need to talk; a good friend cheers you up when you are down and a good friend stands up for you.

Just as I stated … simple and profound!

 

Missing my Milk Calendar

I am not sure exactly what year I started using a Milk Calendar to keep track of my schedule. It must have been 1993 or 1994. Each year, on the 1st of January, I would transfer valuable information from the old calendar to the new calendar.

The Milk Calendar kept me on track and I never forgot a date! This year, I do not have a Milk Calendar and I already forgot an appointment I scheduled! It made me feel terrible. I pride myself on not forgetting.  Anyways, I had to reschedule the appointment and I wrote it down on a piece of paper and stuck it on the fridge!

And before anyone dares to tell me about the calendar that is available on my smartphone, I will let that someone know that I started using an electronic calendar at the beginning of December 2018. I felt like I needed to finally catch up with 21st century ways. I guess it is going to take time adjusting to these new ways since I waited almost 18 years!

This year, more so than ever before, I need to keep track of what I expect to be a crazy busy schedule. Although I have secretly wanted to forget many things, this is not how I imagined the forgetting to take place! Not at all!

So, on this 6th day of the New Year, I wish for a Milk Calendar to make its way to my mailbox ASAP. Apparently, they mail it for FREE starting in October. 

Desperation led to acquisition of information that may have already been available at my fingertips. And it is delightful that the best things in life are still free!

Life is wonderful. Happy 2019 everyone!