Non sequitur

I have to give the lesson in Relief Society on Sunday. It is on "Prophets, Seers and Revelators" from Teachings for our Times. I have read the material - I have jotted down some "good ideas for opening salvos" and not much else. Then the newly called ward newsletter editor -who was my ace, number one Enrichment leader before this new calling - emailed me (they wanted her because she is so computer savvy - no concern about her language, grammar or spelling abilities) and asked me to be the front page editorialist for her fledgling issue. And she wants it Sunday. I feel less than creative - I feel tired, coughed out, TGIF, etc. So I thought that maybe blogging a bit might get the creative juices flowing.

It is raining - I am home from school - there is no school Monday - do I feel like being productive? No. I feel like curling up in front of the fireplace and finishing the new John Grisham novel Harry bought. (Why must I hurry and say Harry bought it - like I don't want anyone to think I was so eager that I bought it in hardback or something??!!) One thing I will say for John Grisham - he is the master of escape fiction. It is not good literature - the stories are all the same - but they are engrossing.

I am also reading the last in the Ladies Number One Detective Agency series - they are well-written - and actually just as compelling - but that is my Sustained Silent Reading book, so it stays at school.

I have felt no inspiration for either my lesson or my editorial - maybe I will go curl up!!

Monday, Monday, Can't Trust That Day!

It's the Mamas and the Papas - hardly a Monday goes by in my life that that refrain doesn't flash through my brain at least once. Good thing there aren't songs like that for every day of the week!

I keep losing students - even difficult ones! It has given me a whole new lease on life - I want to get creative - I'm even looking into taking my students to Citrus College for a production of "Music Man." We could ride the city bus out to the college - I did call and leave a message to see if any tickets were still available. I will keep you posted.

The students I'm losing have all moved - and the district said no to requested transfers!! Hooray!! (They haven't always done that in the past.) Two were problem children - poor behavior that made you want to turn them over your knee and spank them. One was just very low -and her parents are in major denial about it - so it was hard to see her struggle so much when she would not have to struggle if her parents didn't have such a problem with the label she would need to have to access the help and placement she needs.

Noah stayed home sick today - last Monday there was not school - and next Monday is a pupil free day - Noah stays home but I have an in-service - then February has 2 Mondays off - he may get used to a 4 day weekend!

Maybe we will make pretzels for FHE. After the girls made them at the Grandma's Slumber Party, Noah commented "I thought they were crunchier!" They usually are - the girls just didn't want to limit themselves to pretzel shapes - so they made some rather thick ones - tasty but not pretzelly (is that a word?!)

January Showers Bring February Weddings

I am off to a bridal shower for Tiffany Reed, who I know is really excited to get married - I heard her say years ago that she just wanted to be a housewife - so she gets her wish!

I went hunting for a gift - didn't want to deal with the registry, because it would mean dealing with the mall - I'm not often up for that anymore. So I went to Country Cottage and got a cool cookbook and a valentine cookie cutter as a package tie on - and I wrapped it splendidly with white shiny paper and a bright red bow! It's all in the presentation you know!

Off to fix grilled cheese and soup for dinner - we have a very limited repetoire around here - but no one complains.

Also, my student from hell moved to Covina - will attend Traweek Jr. High - which is where Harry the elder (to differentiate from Harry the Elder) attended Jr. High many eons ago. I did wish him well and suppressed the desire to turn cartwheels down the main hall as his mom checked him out of school. There is hope!!

Tuesday Night After Class

I complain about my classes - the ones I have to take anyway - but in truth there is something comfortable about going to class each week. And I don't have to fix dinner either!!

Now the classes I teach are another matter - I have finally encountered the Student from Hell. He appears to have no redeeming qualities - even his mother doesn't seem very fond of him. I know I am on the wrong track here and need to repent. But this boy seems beyond helping - and he is rude and obnoxious and the other kids are scared of him to boot! (He is a little shrimp too - I could take him over my knee and give him a few swats with ease - but he still has this power.) I've tried positive reinforcement -which worked for 2 weeks - then he got tired of dong the right things, I guess. The negative reinforcement hasn't worked either. He gets suspended about every other day!! I hope to have a more positive spin to report soon!!

Is is a Utah thing?

I have asked numerous people I run into or work with if they know anything about blogging - and none of them have a clue. Is is something college kids do? Or high school kids? Or people who live where it snows? (If I forget the "s"in Terrills.blogspot I get a blog from Colorado - someone named Terrill Dent.)

So I am feeling very au courant and avant garde and bohemian and hip and definitely 21st century!!

Five Hours Til Bedtime

I have figured out why it is so hard to work and run a home. If you get home at 5 or so and feel like you ought to get 7 or 8 hours of sleep to stay healthy (which I keep dreaming of doing but really never do!) you only have 5 hours til bedtime! And 5 hours is nothing - it's not even a full school day - and only 2 hours longer than the Sunday block! If you want to veg out or read or read your email, there goes all the time. So the key is get home at 3, so you have a full day until bedtime! As a teacher, I could get home at 3 - but it would take a lot of organization - and that same amount of organization would probably make the 5 hours til bedtime very productive. What a conundrum - I think I'll go have another Hershey's kiss with almonds!

Hack, cough

Every couple of years I get a cold and hack and cough and blow my nose a lot. I am very fortunate that I don't get sick more often. I recognize it as a great blessing. But then it gets to the tickle-in-the-throat stage and I have to live on cough drops and it gets yucky. Such a trial I know - but the older I get the more aches and pains I have and the less tolerant I get of them.

FHE

We had the first FHE of the year for the little Terrill family that resides at 428 - we set up a plan to help Noah earn his Duty to God Award before he turns 18 - and I thought I'd checked everything off when he got his Eagle! No rest for the wicked (and the righteous don't need any!!) It will someday be an empty nest around here - it doesn't really feel like that will ever happen, because it's always pretty active around here. But last Monday night, when we arrived home after our marathon drive from Davis CA (it's normally a 5 1/2 hour drive - took us almost 12 hours!!) Anyway, we came home and Hannah's stuff was gone and Karl's stuff was gone and the house was cold and quiet and still and I felt a little melancholy. There was a note from Hannah and I thought how quickly the 2 weeks of a very full house had just melted back into the memory.

The Weirdness of Water

It's been a long Monday in the old special ed classroom - full of a real cross section dysfunctional humanity disguised as middle school students! I have been at this for about 8 years now - and the kids are getting more and more dysfunctional each year. There are one or two each year who give me hope - but the rest seem so damaged I wonder if they will make it. And the steady rain is just not making things any better. They delight in getting very wet. You can traverse the entire campus without getting wet - but they persist in standing in the downpours and stomping through the puddles like adventerous 3 year olds - but it's not the carefree, exploratory glee of toddlers - there is almost something demented in it. Hopefully Tuesday will be drier and maybe more normal - i.e. less surreal!!

The Weirdness of Water

It's been a long Monday in the old special ed classroom - full of a real cross section dysfunctional humanity disguised as middle school students! I have been at this for about 8 years now - and the kids are getting more and more dysfunctional each year. There are one or two each year who give me hope - but the rest seem so damaged I wonder if they will make it. And the steady rain is just not making things any better. They delight in getting very wet. You can traverse the entire campus without getting wet - but they persist in standing in the downpours and stomping through the puddles like adventerous 3 year olds - but it's not the carefree, exploratory glee of toddlers - there is almost something demented in it. Hopefully Tuesday will be drier and maybe more normal - i.e. less surreal!!

And the rain it raineth every day . . .

It is raining steadily - has been for 3 days now -and the ground is saturated and the Monrovia Police Dept. has called twice with their recorded message about finding shelter at the Community Center if we have to evacuate!! Kind of scary, but compared to giant tsunamis, it seems like such a paltry thing.

Today is Sunday - and I always wonder where it goes - especially on rainy Sundays - when I think that somehow I should have been able to get a nap, visit and crochet one of the dozen scarves I have started, or sit by the fire and read. I did get two visits in and a PPI that may or may not have been productive.

So it's back to school tomorrow - why does Monday always come? But next Monday is a holiday - hooray!

Have a good week!