Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Overheard

School is starting out with a bang! I am expecting much to blog about this year and little to none of it will have to do with riding or racing a bike. Mostly because I quit. I'm sick of crusty old men giving me a beat down everytime I line up. I hate old people. Especially the ones who go fast on bikes with their skinny old bodies lapping mine. I'm not really quitting, but I did take a beating from one man last weekend in one of the last crits of the year for me. Now I only have to take four more beatdowns before I get to relax and just yell at kids all day.
We're having a fund raiser at our school to put phones in each of the rooms. Yesterday the representative for the company who kind of puts on our fundraiser had all the 6th graders in the gym telling them about how it works. Here's one of her first lines to the 10-12 year old kids, "Kids, what's the thing you think about ALLLLL the time?......................And, I'm not talking about SEX!"
"HOLY CRAP! Did she just say that?" That's what all the teachers' faces said as we looked at each other. Then our principal walks to the back of the room and as he's passing us he says under his breath, "Yeah, I'm going to need to talk to her about that." Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal, but you have to realize that beginning of the year 6th graders are just little kids and when she said that they all just looked at her like she had pulled an axe murderer out of a hat.
Then a couple of days ago I was passing out text books. I was explaining how the books need to be taken care of because they're new and it costs $50.00 to replace one book. A kid raises his hand and says in a real slow low voice, "How about if you use your book as a weapon?" as he picks it up with two hands and pretends to crush the skull of the kid in front of him. "Would you have to pay $50.00 for that?" My reply while all the kids are giving a scared little giggle, "I think we'd have a different problem if that happens."

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Yaaaawn

I just woke up on my first Saturday of the new school year. I've been back to work for just one week now and I already love Saturday mornings again. You don't really care what day it is when it's summer and you're not working.
I'm sure in no time I'll get to post from the ISS room. So far though kids are being good. It usually takes until about the third week of school for anyone to test the waters of behavior. I don't mind waiting. This year is going to be different though because this is the first year where I've taught all the kids in the school- so being with them in ISS will be easier since I won't be wondering about the temperment of the kid who I'm telling to turn around, be quiet and get to work. You can say that same thing to any kid and get several different results ranging from positive to a reaction that gets that kid another pink slip and a trip to the office. It's not so much what you say as how you say it. We also go new desks in ISS. Pretty nice. You know, the ones with the walls around them so you can't see to you left, right, or front.
Oh yeah, I'm also the new breakfast supervisor. So for 25 minutes each day I stand there and tell kids to hurry up and eat, wipe down your table, push in your chair and get out! It's usually not a position anyone volunteers for, but it was either one person does it and gets paid for doing it plus free breakfast, or everyone gets assigned to do it on a rotating basis and no one gets paid. So I took one for the team. I was going to wind up doing it one way or another so I may as well get paid. It also gets me out of all other before and after school duties.
This blog is dull. What else is going on? I'm hitting golf balls better. Especially since I realized I'm left handed at golf.
One of my friends is supposed to be going to Iraq. Hopefully the deployment won't happen.
Five more races for me including tonight for this year. After that, it's pretty much over for me with football coaching.
I'm hoping to have some good parties for MU football games at our place this fall. If you can't have a good team, you can still have a good time.
Can you name the meat?