from the porches

sweater weather

Brrr!  The temperature climbed only to 52 degrees today.  I had unplugged my mom's electric blanket a week ago and then had to return to plug it back in.  We had the coldest Easter ever-a record cold snap; however, in three days, the thermometer will climb back to the mid 80's. Today a blanket of heavy gray clouds and spitting rain reminded me of a typical winter's day, not April 9.  I'll take these chilly days though, before the high heat and humidity socks in. 

Tomorrow mom and I leave for Tallahassee.  I serve on the state FCAT Writing+ committee.  We work very hard from 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.  The committee reviews writing standards, write and edit test item questions and read hundreds of student writings with a keen eye to raising the standards for written essays.  The meetings have become intense in the past because some educators want to leave the standards as they are.  In the fall a woman pointed her finger at me and said,  "You don't know the students in our county.  We're title 1 schools and our kids can't take higher standards." 

By raising the writing standards, it is true that a higher percentage of writers will be in the lower quartile.  I reminded this young educator that Ft. White Elementary is the same as her district; but, she was color blind as well, so it didn't matter what I said.  Mom and I spent a lot of time chuckling about that encounter after my last meeting.  I think mom is looking forward to this trip more than I am.  For her it is a vacation of sorts and for me too.  After 5:00 p.m. we go to dinner, read, watch TV and chat.  No responsibilities like laundry, doing dishes or thinking about what to cook for dinner.  Actually, maybe my Tallahassee event will make for an interesting blog.

a slinky on your head

Have you ever worn a slinky on your head?  Well, I did this afternoon.  I kept Madeline, my grandaughter who is 3 years 4 months old.  We had a good day.  First off, we watched her TV programs, ate lunch, and then went to the park, with the promise of a nap afterward.  Folks, the nap never happened. Instead, I took a blanket out in my front yard and we layed there and Madeline hugged my three Aussies, Bubba, Cody, and Annie.  We rolled aound on the blanket for about an hour in the warm sun.  Then suddenly, Maddie said,  "Nana, I want to go inside."

"Oh, goodie, naptime,"  I thought. 
"Nope,"  that never happened.  Instead, I had bought a stupid rainbow colored plastic slinky from our Ft. White Dollar Store for an amazing $1.00 and we played with it.  It did not walk down the front steps as it should have.  Instead, Nana had to wear it as a birthday hat as Madeline stated. 
"Now don't take it off!".    So I wore it.  Too bad Truett wasn't there to take photos.  However, I loved every minute of it.  It is now 8:15 pm and I think Madeline has officially gone to bed and hopefully to sleep.

We dyed Easter eggs today, thanks to Merry Jennifer's suggestion.  I had forgotten what you do on Easter Eve.  When I called and said,  ""Hey, can Maddie come out to play and spend the night?"  I really didn't have a clue as to what was expected.  Maddie got a kick out of the egg dying and so did I after 30 years.  We both agreed that we may not be able to get the blue dye out of our fingernails.

Nothing will erase the problems and worries of a day better than babysitting a three year old.  I played.  Imagined.  Wore stupid things on my head and tumbled in the bed with Madeline.  I can think of no better way to enjoy life.

lessons learned #1

I was talking with Sherry about the boy with the biscuit up his nose and then we began remembering when we were young and a couple of incidents when I got in trouble.  Mind you we were good kids.  I tried to follow all the rules like don't walk on the grass, use the sidewalk.  Don't burp at the table, etc.  But when you are a good kid, some things look more fun.  Here's one incident:

Every Saturday Sherry and I walked about ten blocks to the small town movie in Trenton, Tennessee and met our friends.  Usually, they were cowboy movies.  The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Hop Along Cassidy, etc., but definitely 'singing cowboy movies'.  Sherry and I were probably 10 or 11 years old.  Well, one Saturday lots of kids were flattening their popcorn boxes and hurling them at the big screen like flying saucers.  One after another, box after box.  (This was before Frisbees were invented and as I think of that, probably a 50's child from my hometown invented the Frisbee.)

I couldn't resist any longer.  I gobbled up my popcorn, flattened the box and sent it sailing toward the front.  Wouldn't you know it.  At that very second a man's hand landed on my shoulder followed by a bellowing,  "OUT!"  I was so embarrassed as I slunk out of the movie.  Then my embarrassment turned to rage.  "Why me?  I only did it once and Billy Joe or Billy Bob must have sailed at least twenty."

Nevertheless, I waited outside the theater in the heat while my friends and my sister continued watching the movie.  Did I learn a lesson?  Yes, indeedy. What an innocent incident.

the color blue

Blue is my favorite color.  I wear all shades of blue.  Navy, dark blue, turquoise and aqua and obviously I do not know the official shades of blue according to an artist; however, today at school was a bad day for blue.

At 7:15 a.m. I am opening car doors for parents, a courtesy according to my principal; plus I am wearing a blue shirt and so is another woman opening car doors. I am one of the fortunate ones to do this because I do not have a home room.  I dealt with frozen doors during the winter and now it is Spring.  But somehow, a parent drove around to the office and said,  "A lady in blue snatched open her car door and her daughter almost fell out on the pavement!"  The parent was irate and then she passed out fliers for "Four Girls and A Pail", a car-washing business for she and her daughters.

Nevertheless, A lady in blue almost hurt her daughter!  I am so angry!  I don't remember a child almost falling out of a car.  Nor do I remember an irate parent.  Do you know what I think it is?  I think it is because gas prices are rising to almost $3.00 a gallon and parents are stressed. 

I guess they need an outlet of some sort, and they must think we are easy prey.  I pray for these children because their families need it.  It is not about wearing blue...but a much larger picture, and I know this.

a sad child

Today as I was passing through the cafeteria on my way to the office, I saw a second grade boy sitting alone at the detention table at lunch.  He was not eating his food.  Instead he was sobbing uncontrollably like one would do with a broken heart.  His food was untouched.  I know this boy to be a sweet child.  Polite but very shy.  My impulse was to question the boy and console him, but instead, I asked the paraprofessional on duty why this child was being punished.

"Well, Mrs. George,"  she answered.  "He tore his biscuit into pieces and was stuffing the pieces up his nose; and that is just unacceptable lunchroom behavior.  It caused such a rucus at his table, I had no other choice."

"Enough said,"  I answered.  Maybe I really don't know this child at all.  This incident makes we wonder why I fret over fourth grade behavior. 

only a teacher knows

Only a teacher knows the anxiety we feel after a nine day vacation or even the three month summer vacation from school.  Teachers are around hundreds of warm bodies a day.  It may not sound like work to the general public; but what you have to realize is the energy level is far more taxing than being with a hundred adults a day.  For 42 years I've felt the,  "Oh, no!" depression of returning to school and it all has to do with the amount of energy we expend during an eight hour day.  Whew!  It exhausts me thinking about it.

Not only are we going back to the last six weeks of the year, which the children don't think are really important once the FCAT is over; but we now have to deal with spring fever.  Girls maturing over nine days of spring break, boys becoming aware of girls after nine days of vacation, baseball team rivalries, and fights.  Yes!  Fights. Over girls... over who won the baseball game, or just to fight.  No reason required.  It happens every spring.

So I'm mentally getting prepared for the last six weeks.  Really, only five weeks since grades are due a week before school is out. For all you who haven't had spring break, enjoy it.  It comes only once a year.