Hell Has Frozen Over

It's true! So I finally asked my colleague/master teacher for a letter of recommendation today and she happily agreed to write one. I *hate* asking for those kinds of things. Now with all the strife I've had with my principal you'd think I wouldn't dare ask her for one. But I did. I just found some balls, strapped 'em on and went in her office. And guess what? The woman is Sybil. She acted nice as pie, congratulating me on 'making it' to June, blah blah blah. She happily agreed to write me a letter too. Again, I heard the theme from The Twilight Zone. I thought, either I imagined everything or she is nuttier than a fruitcake. I was totally prepared to tell her I didn't expect her to write I was a great fifth grade teacher, but that I AM a good teacher - but she was fine and dandy with it all. Maybe she's back on her medication? Hell if I know.

Does it matter? I am so freaking close people! Eight more school days! I also received my portfolio notice back in the mail; my portfolio, according to the County, is complete and I have met all the bullshit standards they wanted from me. Praise GOD!

The best news of all: I went to the Dr. today and finally got my stitches on my toe out! Dang, I've never gotten stitches removed before. Anyway, the dr. said "The cyst hasn't grown back - it looks great." And I'm sitting there going "Wait a minute, it's been about 2 weeks since the surgery - they can grow back THAT fast?" He said yep. Unreal. Why can't GOOD things grow fast on the human body? Like a stack of $100 bills coming out of your head or something. Keeeee-rist.

So good news, good news. Then I come home and that psycho mother I wrote about in my last blog blasted me with an email because her daughter can't keep any homework straight and somehow this is all my fault. Her daughter got a bad grade on a test. Boo hoo. She didn't know when it was due. Funny, the other 3o kids knew. I apparently still had the balls strapped on, because I finally wrote her back and told her (nicely) that her daughter, yep, HER DAUGHTER needed to be the one to tell me she didn't understand the homework...he daughter needed to come up to me and TALK TO ME IN CLASS LIKE SHE IS 11 YEARS OLD AND NOT AN INFANT. Can you imagine your MOTHER speaking FOR YOU all the time? I actually wrote to her something about how it was only going to be harder next year when she has 6 different teachers. What's the mother going to do, email 6 different middle school teachers? I can hear those teachers laughing their collective assess off now.

I am so glad to be leaving elementary school. I can't stand the coddling of children today. Tomorrow we are having a pizza party at lunch. Woohoo. Doesn't get better than that. Coddle, coddle. On the plus side, I am LOVING teaching English literature; today our conversation somehow went straight to the law and we veered off into a whole different arena of thought. Yet I thought "Wonderful. Some kid is going to go home and tell his parents he has to be given his Miranda rights, he has the right to due process/ a speedy trial and if he kills someone and is acquitted, he can't ever be tried again because of double jeopardy." I just love talking about all this shit because the kids don't know any of it - and I will say it's really neat to see their faces light up when they hear new concepts and ideas - ha - like double jeopardy.

My friend S, has begun a wonderful new relationship and it's really got me thinking and honestly, I am envious. I am sooooooooooo happy for her - honestly, she SO deserves this joy and happiness and giddiness, but I am greedy and I want some too! I want to feel like she is feeling now; I want to just be delirious for a little while, haha. I am committed to attempting to make that happen this summer. OK, well I am committed to at least having a date, how's that?
I'm trying to stay somewhat realistic.

8 more school days. I am prepared for the crash and burn, but I'm also prepared for sleeping in, sleeping in, sleeping in. I will say, having vacations IS an awesome part of teaching.