A little fun to start the day, courtesy of Miss Taylor Swift and the fabulous aerobics dancers of 1989.
Sometimes People Suck
I feel grumpy.
I feel unsettled.
Frankly, I feel kind of dirty.
Why?
Something I witnessed while I was out walking the dog earlier.
Here’s what happened. A few houses down from us a basketball came flying out of nowhere and landed in the street. I have no idea where it came from, but I expected that some kid would be out soon to retrieve it. We kept walking, but no kid appeared. It was on the far side of the street, near the curb, and since I didn’t know where it came from I left it alone. I figured the kid would be along momentarily.
Well, the dog and I continued down the street and a small car passed us and continued down the block. All of a sudden it stopped. I turned around to witness the passenger, a grown man, jump out of the car and grab the basketball, then hurry back into the car and drive away.
I was confused. Did it come from a yard all the way on the other side of the block? Was it his ball? Why else would he have picked it up? The dog and I made it to the end of the street, then turned back toward home. As we approached we saw them, the two boys looking for their ball. They were looking in bushes on both sides of the street. When I got close enough I asked if they were looking for their blue basketball. Of course they were. I told them what happened. They were as confused as I was.
Who would do that?
Karma’s a bitch, I hope that guy’s ready for her.
The Spirit of Collaboration
I seem to live in three worlds lately, the world of home, the world of school, and the world of writing. On the outside, each of these worlds seems to function so differently, but on further examination, I’m not so sure that’s true.
The world of school is the world that takes the most of my time. It’s a good world, and for that I’m grateful. Teaching is a profession unlike many others, in that so much is expected that you are never really “caught up” with anything. I’m not saying teaching is more difficult than other professions, or takes more dedication, that would be a lie. I’m just saying that teaching, if you let it, will suck the life out of you and leave you with very little to show for it.
Solitary teachers often struggle. In spite of the fact that they’re surrounded by students each day, they teach in isolation and lack professional, adult connections. I feel sorry for those teachers. Sometimes it’s a result of their position. Maybe a school only has one foreign language teacher or one PE teacher. Unless those teachers are able to form professional ties with others they are sort of left to their own devices.
Other times teachers are part of a group, or team, but the dynamics of that group are dysfunctional. I think this situation is worse. It’s difficult being the odd person out of a group. I’m fortunate, my team is fantastic. And the best thing about it? The collaboration. Continue reading
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