Written by I love it when I work my tail off at work only to find notes students write that say, “I hate this class!” Thanks. I’ve been called every name in the book but the worst insult for me is being told my students hate my class.Â
Stuff
There are days I think Rob has no idea what he’s getting himself into by marrying a teacher. Many days I come home with a headache. Many days I wonder what in the world I’m doing this job for. And then something will happen to remind me.Â
A student in my 1st period jumped up this morning and asked if she could go to the bathroom. I thought she was going to throw up so I said yes. A few minutes later we hear wailing from outside. This student lives in a migrant farm labor camp with several other students in that same class. Some of the other girls in class asked if they could go outside and see if she was ok. I said yes because obviously something was wrong. Eventaully, I went out there to see what was going on because all I could hear was something about her mom. My heart sank. I was afraid her mother had been killed but it was her grandfather. She was hysterical, trying to get more information but no one would answer their phones. A friend’s mother came to pick her up to take her home.Â
It’s always sad when a family member dies. It’s even harder when it’s one of my students who is in pain. There’s little I can do to help them except listen when they cry, hug them when they cling to me and hope they will some day remember the kindness of a teacher.
Tuck and Ruca
Written by A big part of the December move hilarity is going to revolve around bringing two cats into the house with Samson. Kind of a Brady Bunch situation; I’ve had Tucker and Veruca for going on eight years now, and they can be a handful just on their own. But flying them to California and chucking them into close quarters with a big honkin’ dog oughta make for a good story.
I’ll admit, seeing Samson in person gave me pause at first. He’s a big boy; if he wants to go somewhere, that’s where he goes. The cats have speed, manueverability, small size and jumping ability in their favor, but it may take them a while to figure that out. We also still have to figure out how best to manage the dog door, because Tuck and Ruca are both indoor cats and are going to stay that way. So we’re either going to have to install an electronic door for Samson or ensure that the dog door is blocked whenever the cats are free to roam.
When I was in Modesto, there was a moment when Samson was out in the front yard and a kitten went strolling by. He’d never seen her before, and so Kristi and I both were like, how’s he going to react? Chase? Bark? What?
We watched as Samson very gently played with the kitten, nudging her slightly with his nose while she rolled on her back to play with his nose with her paws. She eventually moved on, and Samson let her be.
That’s when I knew he’d be fine with the cats. They’ll be a bit stressed out (“What the heck are YOU?!”) but Samson won’t hurt them. He might get a nose full of Tuck claws on occasion, though.
Big Feet Attack
One of the joys of being in a temporary long distance relationship is the web cam. Rob set it up a few months ago so I could check in on what he’s up to. It’s affectionately known as KristiCam as I’m the only one who gets to see what he’s up to. Every now and again, I find there’s no display of him but of Ruca in his chair taking a nap. And even more frightening? The attack of his large feet.
 