Been awhile....

Sometimes I get so caught up in projects, I forget to do things, like this...

I loved the "Teachers Have It Easy" book so much, I made my husband read it, just so he could really get a feel for my work. Not that the underpaid social worker who acknowledges that he doesn't see me 10 months out of the year doesn't already know that. But, he plowed through it then asked for reassurance that I would not teach until I am old enough to retire! Well, I have always said that once it stops being fun watching the students learn and grow, that's when I leave. I will NEVER let myself become the teacher who just shows up to get the paycheck, no matter how small that paycheck is.

So I will also be doing a neat little thing once the school year gets going. In the book, there is a multi-page feature comparing the days of a teacher and a pharmaceutical salesman, hour by hour. Depressing is a good word. So I will be doing a couple of hour-by-hour blogs - a play-by-play of sorts. Not to be a martyr, but more so I can see for myself what I do during the day. Just self-examination. A neat little side benefit would be if some of the many people who think teachers are lazy or have it easy with summers off, week vacations, blah, blah, blah will actually see that is not the case. I have a relative who is very nice except she has that "teachers have it great with all their time off" and I had to hear it again last night. Most of us do not sit on our tails sunning ourselves at the beach all summer. And if I did, I would say that is a fair reward for all the time I give during the year. How about teachers get the same respect as doctors and police? Just wait for the September play-by-play...

The final stretch...

Well, I had to go in to work today. It was quick, but I just wanted to go home. It was a dark and stormy day, I just finished physical therapy, and I guess I didn't want to bump into anyone I don't want to see. But that didn't happen. Phew!

I have been reading this GREAT book and that is probably the main reason I didn't want to go in. It is "Teachers Have It Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers" and it is by Daniel Moulthrop, Ninive Clements Calegari and Dave Eggers. The only name I knew was Eggers and I never read his stuff. I saw the book in Bluestockings in the L.E.S. but was hesitant to buy it. Trusty inter-library-loan works for me in those cases. Let me just say that every truly hard-working teacher needs to read this book to know s/he is not alone. Every lazy teacher who is just coasting until retirement needs to read this to find out why we do not respect you and just want you out. And everyone else in America - students, parents, common citizens - needs to read this to realize what our lives are really about. Over the past 10 years I have gone back and forth between wanting to leave teaching and wanting to stay. This book makes me realize that all my feelings are valid. I just want to know why the world didn't know about this book when it came out. Why wasn't there more of a commotion? Or maybe there was. See, I don't have cable and no antenna on the house, so I miss a lot of stuff. But at least is saves me money! And the next time someone gives me attitude for not having kids, I will just advise them to read this book. So nice to know you are not alone, but still immensely frustrating.

Enough for now...

York, Manchester, and fabulousness

So I just arranged my 170 digital pictures in my England album. Sigh... I can't wait to get back to England. I just can't believe I was finally there. My lifelong dream had been to get to England. Being around all that history is just mind-boggling. Here in America it seems almost like a manufactured heritage since there is not much. But I actually sat in buildings from the 1400's! Oh, if only I could travel back and find out that in a former life I lived there hundreds of years ago. I guess if this trip I am planning to take students on in April doesn't happen, then I can zip on to London then. If not, we'll be going right after the school year ends. Some friends gave us London stuff for our birthdays so I guess we just have to go there. Shoot....We just know it will be very different than our experience in the North. Hubby will probably immediately think it doesn't compare...I will probably be overwhelmed...If only we could bring Millie so we could stay for more than a week...

I am really enjoying the summer life right now - except for a couple of annoyances (later...). I even managed to get some soft sculptures and glass and cap pins done. I am also finally listening to some records I have bought over the last year. Vinyl is sooo much better than plastic! I just can't get myself to set up the basement for darkroom yet. I can't bear the thought of working without open windows when it is so nice out. That's okay. The jewelry and sculptures keep me busy. Gardening, swimming, creating, reading, napping with Millie...

Oh yeah, and our psycho neighbour was arrested for assault today. Finally. Every week I have to hear him screaming at his wife. I just hope she presses charges and he can't come back, but we know how well the law protects the victims right? I'm not holding my breath. This creep dented a ledge on our pool, throws his cigarette butts in our yard, probably is responsible for our melted siding, and scares the heck out of me. I usually just duck out of sight when he's out. It sure was nice seeing him in cuffs. Scary fight, nice ending.

The wrists are hurting - need to get one of those squishy wrist rests...