Since I am no longer what one would call a "normal" teacher, one thing I do not get to do is go on field trips. You know, getting to travel to places you would not go otherwise, and bringing along a pluthera of very excited children and their sack lunches.
**Small side story (you are used to these tangents if you have ever talked to me AT ALL)---as a child, I, of course LIVED for field trips. My most memorable one was in first grade when my class went to Rawhide. Where else can you pan for gravel that has been spray painted gold?? Anyway, the reason I remember this trip so vividly is because of a kid in my class, Jonathan. He was know for being a very preppy first grader. Yes, we are talking clothes that looked like they were meant for dads, just put into a shrinky-dink machine so they would fit his boyish frame. Jonathan had chosen to wear a very thick and billowy black and white embroidered sweater to RAWHIDE. In the desert. In the hot sun. Not sure if he missed the field trip attire memo: Ragged T-shirt, black bike shorts and a neon fanny pack. That's really all you need. Soon into the trip he got super pale and ended up vomiting all over himself. This somehow was important enough to me that I wrote about it in my diary that night! Smelled like vomit the whole way home. I'm almost vomiting just thinking about it.
Back to the point of this story: Tyler and I took a field trip to Goodwill yesterday. We are having our small group Christmas party on Thursday, and of course we are doing the "tacky Christmas sweater" theme. I walk in and am instantly hit by the aroma of library, mustiness and feet. Not a great combo. Mind you it was already a mildly aggravating day at work. So Tyler and I each make our way to the respective departments to search for our ugly clothes. While I found an abundance of 3-D Halloween sweaters (you know, the kind the require a 9 volt battery or an extension cord to operate), there were no super tacky Christmas sweaters. Probably because everyone and their moms are having the same kind of parties! So Tyler got some embroidered one, pretty much the grown up version of the one Jonathan vomited in at Rawhide. For me, it was between two pretty ugly ones, but the grossest of the two had an added tacky bonus---it was completely covered in some sort of animal hair. Aren't you supposed to wash things when you bring them to Goodwill? They didn't have a comment card for me to fill out, so I suppressed my dry heaves and bought it.
We had one more item on our shopping list: a gift for the White Elephant gift exchange. What better place to get a unique, and somewhat scary gift? We found it right away. It's about 3 feet tall, and we're 99.9% sure it is a mountable bird bath, perhaps used in the Civil War. It's very ornate and is gold. Well, a lot of the gold has flaked off, and it might be lead-based paint. Which would make it a "killer" bird feeder. To round out the gift, we purchased a "Blue Christmas" vinyl record for a dollar. Then the receiver would be able to listen to festive holiday tunes as he or she watches birds meet their maker. It's more of an experience than a gift, really.
While it was a bit of a "Debbie Downer" trip, overall Tyler and I had a good time. Cheap date night!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
On my Christmas List
In the past few weeks, I realize that I have left some very important things off my Christmas list. Here they are:
-Barbie Unicorn Princess. I realize this toy may in fact give me nightmares but it's worth the risk and potential therapy bills.
-Whoever wrote the last episode of The Office, that featured this Unicorn doll, I would like to have these writers meet me for dinner at Cheesecake Factory. I would tape the entire conversation, because I've decided this group of writers may in fact be the funniest group of people I will ever meet. At the end of the conversation, I will get out my planner and ask them the frequency in which they would like to hang out with me.
-I would like a DVD of the Kraft-sponsored made for TV movie "The Misfit Toy". This movie may have been made in 1989 and viewed by around 28 people total, my sister and I being two of those 28. I would want all the Kraft commercials that aired during the movie to be included in this DVD, along with commentary from the main characters (a stuffed lion, a ballerina, and about 100 plastic army men. I would settle for the front line of army men, if all of them cannot be reached.)
-I would like the VHS copy of when I played Mary in the Joy Christmas production, featuring when I scooted off the octagonal platform and fell off the stage while holding the baby Jesus (thankfully, it was only a doll). I would also like to talk with whoever was the director of this production and demand she tell me how a metal folding chair would have been created and present in Bethlehem during Bible times. I thought wood, straw and cotton were the main materials of choice during that time era, also donkey hair. Had I been sitting on a cloth pillow with donkey hair fringe, I doubt I would have scooted off the stage and caused such a spectacle.
You still have some shopping days left! Best of luck!
-Barbie Unicorn Princess. I realize this toy may in fact give me nightmares but it's worth the risk and potential therapy bills.
-Whoever wrote the last episode of The Office, that featured this Unicorn doll, I would like to have these writers meet me for dinner at Cheesecake Factory. I would tape the entire conversation, because I've decided this group of writers may in fact be the funniest group of people I will ever meet. At the end of the conversation, I will get out my planner and ask them the frequency in which they would like to hang out with me.
-I would like a DVD of the Kraft-sponsored made for TV movie "The Misfit Toy". This movie may have been made in 1989 and viewed by around 28 people total, my sister and I being two of those 28. I would want all the Kraft commercials that aired during the movie to be included in this DVD, along with commentary from the main characters (a stuffed lion, a ballerina, and about 100 plastic army men. I would settle for the front line of army men, if all of them cannot be reached.)
-I would like the VHS copy of when I played Mary in the Joy Christmas production, featuring when I scooted off the octagonal platform and fell off the stage while holding the baby Jesus (thankfully, it was only a doll). I would also like to talk with whoever was the director of this production and demand she tell me how a metal folding chair would have been created and present in Bethlehem during Bible times. I thought wood, straw and cotton were the main materials of choice during that time era, also donkey hair. Had I been sitting on a cloth pillow with donkey hair fringe, I doubt I would have scooted off the stage and caused such a spectacle.
You still have some shopping days left! Best of luck!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Dolphin Drama
Who does not love the movie "Pretty Woman"?!?! Seriously. You all should. And have a lot of the lines memorized.
I know there are a select few of you out there who are smirking and saying to yourself "I hate that movie!" There are three possible options for your response:
1- You are lying to yourself. You know you have seen it one on of those Julia Roberts TBS marathons and you secretly love it when the store clerks finally let her shop.
2- Somehow, whether living under a rock or being very busy, you ahve missed seeing this movie altogether. For you, one word: NETFLIX.
3- You are one of the 100 people in the world who genuinely do not like this movie. For you, I inwardly sob and forgive you. You should also probably just watch it again.
So. Back to why I brought this movie up in the first place. One fo the best scenes in this movie is when Julia Roberts has money from Richard Gere to buy a cocktail dress and she goes into a store filled with eviiiiiiiiil and grumpy clerks who will not let her shop there. One of the classic quotes in this scene comes from one of the clerks who gives Julia Roberts the "once-over" and says in an ice queen voice, "I don't think we have anything for you." Gives me shivers just thinking about it!
I thought this was a purely fictional scenario, until my sister and I experienced something similar at the mall on Black Friday. Megan needed to get a present for one of the girls she disciples---some sort of dolphin jewelery. This was an inside joke between the two of them, and Meg and I thought it would be pretty simple to find. So we head into the Icing store. For those of you boys who are out of touch, the Icing is NOT a bakery, but a teenybopper jewelery store. Everything in it is plastic or metal and none of it tastes remotely like a baked good.
We go in and Megan asks one of the employees if they have any dolphin jewelery. Rather than politely saying "no", this woman and one of her henchwomen decide to be snotty! The woman gets this astounded look on her face and looks over at her co-worker. "Dolphins?! Um, no, we don't have anything like that here. Right?" #2 wholeheartedly agrees with her and adds, "Yea, we haven't carried dolphins for at least 2 or 3 years......" Then the two go on to list about 4-6 SADSACK stores that we should probably try if we are to find any of this alleged dolphin jewelery. Both Megan and I walked out of their with out tails between our legs feeling like tools. I honestly felt like Julia must have felt!
There was also a Claire's in the same mall, so we went in there prepared to add that the dolphin jewelery was for an inside joke. We were definitely expecting the worst, especially since the two stores are stinking identical except for the name. Amazingly, the people there were soooo nice and they TOTALLY had dolphin stuff in there!
(Seriously, even if I had gone in there asking for a large Cystal Brooch in the shape of a T-Rex, a smart store clerk would show me the dang brooch for the sake of making a sale!)
Like most girls, Megan and I felt an immediate allegiance to Claire's and wanted to confide in them about the snotty employees from the Icing. Turns out, the stores ARE owned by the same company, so in some sort of weird way the Icing DOES sell dolphin jewelery! SO THERE!
Unfortunately, Megan and I did not go back into the offending and give them a taste of their own medicine like Julia does in the movie. We probably got hungry.
I know there are a select few of you out there who are smirking and saying to yourself "I hate that movie!" There are three possible options for your response:
1- You are lying to yourself. You know you have seen it one on of those Julia Roberts TBS marathons and you secretly love it when the store clerks finally let her shop.
2- Somehow, whether living under a rock or being very busy, you ahve missed seeing this movie altogether. For you, one word: NETFLIX.
3- You are one of the 100 people in the world who genuinely do not like this movie. For you, I inwardly sob and forgive you. You should also probably just watch it again.
So. Back to why I brought this movie up in the first place. One fo the best scenes in this movie is when Julia Roberts has money from Richard Gere to buy a cocktail dress and she goes into a store filled with eviiiiiiiiil and grumpy clerks who will not let her shop there. One of the classic quotes in this scene comes from one of the clerks who gives Julia Roberts the "once-over" and says in an ice queen voice, "I don't think we have anything for you." Gives me shivers just thinking about it!
I thought this was a purely fictional scenario, until my sister and I experienced something similar at the mall on Black Friday. Megan needed to get a present for one of the girls she disciples---some sort of dolphin jewelery. This was an inside joke between the two of them, and Meg and I thought it would be pretty simple to find. So we head into the Icing store. For those of you boys who are out of touch, the Icing is NOT a bakery, but a teenybopper jewelery store. Everything in it is plastic or metal and none of it tastes remotely like a baked good.
We go in and Megan asks one of the employees if they have any dolphin jewelery. Rather than politely saying "no", this woman and one of her henchwomen decide to be snotty! The woman gets this astounded look on her face and looks over at her co-worker. "Dolphins?! Um, no, we don't have anything like that here. Right?" #2 wholeheartedly agrees with her and adds, "Yea, we haven't carried dolphins for at least 2 or 3 years......" Then the two go on to list about 4-6 SADSACK stores that we should probably try if we are to find any of this alleged dolphin jewelery. Both Megan and I walked out of their with out tails between our legs feeling like tools. I honestly felt like Julia must have felt!
There was also a Claire's in the same mall, so we went in there prepared to add that the dolphin jewelery was for an inside joke. We were definitely expecting the worst, especially since the two stores are stinking identical except for the name. Amazingly, the people there were soooo nice and they TOTALLY had dolphin stuff in there!
(Seriously, even if I had gone in there asking for a large Cystal Brooch in the shape of a T-Rex, a smart store clerk would show me the dang brooch for the sake of making a sale!)
Like most girls, Megan and I felt an immediate allegiance to Claire's and wanted to confide in them about the snotty employees from the Icing. Turns out, the stores ARE owned by the same company, so in some sort of weird way the Icing DOES sell dolphin jewelery! SO THERE!
Unfortunately, Megan and I did not go back into the offending and give them a taste of their own medicine like Julia does in the movie. We probably got hungry.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tyler's Take - Translator Please!
So who else is pumped (no pun intended!) about the low price of gas right now (sad that we think anything under $3 is low, right?!)? I know I am! We moved from Ohio, which was consistently above the national average for some weird reason to Indiana where I think they average just below so that makes it even better for us. We also happen to live in a town that a major interstate runs through which means we literally have 5 competing gas stations within about a quarter mile radius to choose from. So yesterday, we were going to take advantage of the $2.83/gallon gas after work so we stopped at the Circle K which is the most convenient station to stop at on the way home. I pull in, get out, swipe my card in the pump and the message on the screen says “Scroll Table 1F”. You’re probably just as confused reading that as I was. Scroll Table 1F? Are you serious?! What the heck is that supposed to mean? So I cancel the transaction and decide to try again. This time, I figure I would try to “play along” with the mean trick that I figured the Harvard-graduate attendant inside was playing on me. So again I swipe my card and again it says “Scroll Table 1F”. But I remained calm and tried to think back to all the times I have pumped gas and what the sequential messages on the screen were. I figured it had to be something like “Do you want a receipt?” or “Would you like a carwash?” so I pressed the “No” button thinking that was probably a safe pick regardless of what “Scroll Table 1F” was supposed to mean. Lo and behold…it worked! The message changed…I am a genius! So as I was about to give myself credit for cracking the code and being the next in line to take over Microsoft, I looked up to see what the message had changed to…"Scroll Table 2B"! Unbelievable! So, since my computer language decoding skills end at “Scroll Table 1F” and I wasn’t about to try to figure out what “Scroll Table 2B” meant, I cancelled the transaction, got back in the car, and drove the half a block to the next station.
Monday, September 15, 2008
I've met the REAL Batman
There are certain sentences I never thought I would use in my life. One of them is "I witnessed a bat being clubbed to death at an Indiana University Football game." I actually used this sentence last weekend. Let me explain...
Tyler and I got to go to the IU football game with Megan and Brandon last Saturday. Greg, Brandon's dad, (for those of you who aren't quite awake yet, that is Megan's father in law!) also drove up from New Castle to come. Now, for those of you who have met Greg, he is a super nice man! I've enjoyed all the times we've gotten to hang out. But after Saturday, Greg has offocially moved onto my "Coolest Grown-ups that I know" list. He joins the list that already consists of:
*My Mom and Dad (for the sheer act of creating me!)
* the writer of One Tree Hill
* the person who invented Corn Flakes
*N'Sync. (this includes Tyler, who will not admit it but he was the back up bass player. You can see his left arm on their first album cover)
Megan, Brandon, Tyler and me were heading into the game. Greg had already gone ahead to his seat. As we arrived to our seating area, there was a scuffle and commotion going on. All I know at this point is Greg is crouched by a bleacher, clubbing something with a stick. Apparently, there was a bat that was hanging upside down under a row of bleachers in our section (so creepy!), and it was bothering/freaking out one of the coach's wives. So Greg, masked hero that he is, joins up with another guy and they decide to show this bat who's boss. Greg finds some sort of stick (not sure where from, unless he had some large cargo shorts on and had brought a stick "just in case") and begins whacking the bat. The co-exterminator is stepping on one of the poor bat's wings to make sure this thing does not escape.
Once Greg has decided the thing has had enough, he goes out to a trash can and proceeds to find a take out box large enough to hold the bat. He gets this thing into the take out box, and is affirmed by the loud applause of the suurounding spectators. PS-the bat is making weird squeaking noises while inside it's coffin/box. When Greg comes back, I asked him if the bat was still alive...he had to finish the job....and I will NOT go into details but I WILL say there was a concrete brick involved.... This would have been the perfect October blog....but I had to spread the news about Batman....
For those of you who can use his services...I will get his contact info out to you soon. I'm pretty sure he can take care of all mammals who have wings and use sonar to navigate.
Tyler and I got to go to the IU football game with Megan and Brandon last Saturday. Greg, Brandon's dad, (for those of you who aren't quite awake yet, that is Megan's father in law!) also drove up from New Castle to come. Now, for those of you who have met Greg, he is a super nice man! I've enjoyed all the times we've gotten to hang out. But after Saturday, Greg has offocially moved onto my "Coolest Grown-ups that I know" list. He joins the list that already consists of:
*My Mom and Dad (for the sheer act of creating me!)
* the writer of One Tree Hill
* the person who invented Corn Flakes
*N'Sync. (this includes Tyler, who will not admit it but he was the back up bass player. You can see his left arm on their first album cover)
Megan, Brandon, Tyler and me were heading into the game. Greg had already gone ahead to his seat. As we arrived to our seating area, there was a scuffle and commotion going on. All I know at this point is Greg is crouched by a bleacher, clubbing something with a stick. Apparently, there was a bat that was hanging upside down under a row of bleachers in our section (so creepy!), and it was bothering/freaking out one of the coach's wives. So Greg, masked hero that he is, joins up with another guy and they decide to show this bat who's boss. Greg finds some sort of stick (not sure where from, unless he had some large cargo shorts on and had brought a stick "just in case") and begins whacking the bat. The co-exterminator is stepping on one of the poor bat's wings to make sure this thing does not escape.
Once Greg has decided the thing has had enough, he goes out to a trash can and proceeds to find a take out box large enough to hold the bat. He gets this thing into the take out box, and is affirmed by the loud applause of the suurounding spectators. PS-the bat is making weird squeaking noises while inside it's coffin/box. When Greg comes back, I asked him if the bat was still alive...he had to finish the job....and I will NOT go into details but I WILL say there was a concrete brick involved.... This would have been the perfect October blog....but I had to spread the news about Batman....
For those of you who can use his services...I will get his contact info out to you soon. I'm pretty sure he can take care of all mammals who have wings and use sonar to navigate.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tyler's Take
This is Tyler writing now...I've decided to take some ownership of this blog (hold your applause for the end). Since Casey decided to make this a blog from "the Suttons" and not just her, I figured I better have a hand in this thing so nothing gets posted that will tarnish my reputation without me having a fair shot to defend myself! And because my beautiful wife has a tendency to exaggerate sometimes, I will hopefully be able to provide an occasional dose of reality! So you can be looking for the "Tyler's Take" section at the end of some blogs and who knows, maybe one day I'll even write some original stuff of my own!
Peace.
Peace.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Sighting
For those of you who know me well, I am starstruck. Ever since in the 3rd grade, when I got to go to Christown mall and meet the cast of Saved by the Bell, I have been hooked. Living in Arizona and the midwest, it is rare that I will see a celebrity up close! (Unless you count Wallace and Ladmo. I do not personally count any stuffed Disney character; those are 16 year olds in big sweaty suits.)
Tyler and I went to New York City in June, and I was pretty convinced I would share an elevator and some smoothies with Donald Trump. I mean, tons of celebriaties live in NYC for crying out loud! However, aside from the Broadway show we saw, we had yet to see anyone famous. UNTIL we got to La Guardia airport to leave!
Tyler and I had just gotten through security and I'm waiting for Tyler to get his dang shoes and socks put back on. I turned toward the security line, and who is leaving security and walking right towards me....KIRSTEN DUNST! Yes, many of you associate Kirsten Dunst with the popular Spiderman trilogy; I tend to admire her for her more dramatic works of Bring It On and Jumanji. Nevertheless, she's a PRETTY big deal! I try to pick my jaw up off the floor so I don't scare her away. I try and tell Tyler using "ventriloquist" mouth (so she can't see that I'm talking about her). He is also mildly startstruck. As we are reaching the foodcourt, we see that Kirsten is ordering coffee at the Dunkin Donuts counter. We hide behind a pillar to watch.
DISCLAIMER: In the rest of this story, we are sad sacks and borderline stalker-ish.
Once she got her coffee, she begins walking towards the same gate area as WE were in! I think to myself, "Perhaps she will be going to Indiana as well?" Surely with all the movie sets in Indiana....unless Hoosiers was the only movie ever made there.....
Of course, she is flying to Martha's Vineyard. We feel like mere peasants. Tyler asks for the camera and proceeds to take multiple shots of the back of Kirsten's head as she is sitting at her gate. We are sitting at our gate, kind of bored, when I say "Why don't we just go sit near her?"
Tyler was up out of his seat before I could finish the question. Next thing you know, we are at Kirsten's gate! At the airport, there are rows of seats that back up to each other. We chose to sit in the row that backed right up to hers. I was sitting close enough that I could have brushed her face with my hand. I DIDN'T, because I wanted to actually get ON my flight to go home instead of being dragged away by security.
While we sat at our "post", we got to hear Kirsten have a conversation involving how much she needed to have a cigarette before she took off. Part of me wanted to go up to her and tell her I loved her movies...and that she doesn't need nicotine....but neither of us had the guts to actually speak to her. We were enthralled enough to simply be flys on the wall. I also figured that being so famous, she probably likes her privacy and does not enjoy being hounded by fans. Hopefully she likes being semi-stalked and stared at instead!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TYLER'S TAKE:
First of all, I did not have my socks off...only my shoes. "I don't take my socks off for anybody!" ~ Frank Costanza
Secondly, I took pictures merely for proof knowing that some of you may not believe us otherwise!
Third, for as starstruck as Casey is, she was totally wimpy about going and sitting right by Kirsten. I said, "I don't care...I'm gonna sit right behind her...she's just another person!" Casey timidly followed my lead!
Tyler and I went to New York City in June, and I was pretty convinced I would share an elevator and some smoothies with Donald Trump. I mean, tons of celebriaties live in NYC for crying out loud! However, aside from the Broadway show we saw, we had yet to see anyone famous. UNTIL we got to La Guardia airport to leave!
Tyler and I had just gotten through security and I'm waiting for Tyler to get his dang shoes and socks put back on. I turned toward the security line, and who is leaving security and walking right towards me....KIRSTEN DUNST! Yes, many of you associate Kirsten Dunst with the popular Spiderman trilogy; I tend to admire her for her more dramatic works of Bring It On and Jumanji. Nevertheless, she's a PRETTY big deal! I try to pick my jaw up off the floor so I don't scare her away. I try and tell Tyler using "ventriloquist" mouth (so she can't see that I'm talking about her). He is also mildly startstruck. As we are reaching the foodcourt, we see that Kirsten is ordering coffee at the Dunkin Donuts counter. We hide behind a pillar to watch.
DISCLAIMER: In the rest of this story, we are sad sacks and borderline stalker-ish.
Once she got her coffee, she begins walking towards the same gate area as WE were in! I think to myself, "Perhaps she will be going to Indiana as well?" Surely with all the movie sets in Indiana....unless Hoosiers was the only movie ever made there.....
Of course, she is flying to Martha's Vineyard. We feel like mere peasants. Tyler asks for the camera and proceeds to take multiple shots of the back of Kirsten's head as she is sitting at her gate. We are sitting at our gate, kind of bored, when I say "Why don't we just go sit near her?"
Tyler was up out of his seat before I could finish the question. Next thing you know, we are at Kirsten's gate! At the airport, there are rows of seats that back up to each other. We chose to sit in the row that backed right up to hers. I was sitting close enough that I could have brushed her face with my hand. I DIDN'T, because I wanted to actually get ON my flight to go home instead of being dragged away by security.
While we sat at our "post", we got to hear Kirsten have a conversation involving how much she needed to have a cigarette before she took off. Part of me wanted to go up to her and tell her I loved her movies...and that she doesn't need nicotine....but neither of us had the guts to actually speak to her. We were enthralled enough to simply be flys on the wall. I also figured that being so famous, she probably likes her privacy and does not enjoy being hounded by fans. Hopefully she likes being semi-stalked and stared at instead!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TYLER'S TAKE:
First of all, I did not have my socks off...only my shoes. "I don't take my socks off for anybody!" ~ Frank Costanza
Secondly, I took pictures merely for proof knowing that some of you may not believe us otherwise!
Third, for as starstruck as Casey is, she was totally wimpy about going and sitting right by Kirsten. I said, "I don't care...I'm gonna sit right behind her...she's just another person!" Casey timidly followed my lead!
Here You Go, MA'AM!
Alright,
I'm not sure if anyone else in my age bracket has this issue, but I seem to notice a lot of people calling me "ma'am" lately. Does this bug anyone else? I think it was not long ago that I was being call "miss"! Is it the wedding ring that automatically makes people default to the "ma'am" intro? Just because I have a wedding ring on does not mean I have my hair in a top know and have to wear trifocals to see my receipt! I would say any public place I go, "ma'am" is used over half the time. Now, being a girl, this makes me a little self-conscious. I start thinking back to when I actually had a GRAY eyebrow (somehow I don't think I would have a blond eyebrow). I can't find any on my head yet, but perhaps someone has seen one?!? Needless to say, I have to wonder if I am looking older than I am.
All that changed two days ago! Let me give you a little info on my new job here in Indiana. It is different than a regular teaching job, since I service kids all over two different schools, and go into their classrooms to help out. I am at en elementary and a middle school, each for half a day.
I am now in the process of trying to introduce myself to these kids. At the elementary school, I can just walk up to the child, introduce myself and they're so excited to meet a teacher that they're just about ready to give me their life savings. Very easy to get the elementary kids confortable with you. I have learned I cannot take that approach with 6-8 graders. Strange as it may sound, they will not run up and hug me at the very sight of my teaching badge. So I have begun to just go into some classrooms, sit in there and observe. The other day, I was going into a 6th grade reading class. All the student desks had been moved into a circle and it was a small class, so the teacher told me I could just grab a seat in the circle while she taught.
I ended up sitting next to one of the students I will be seeing. His name is Dado (but goes by Abraham). Abraham is from the Ivory Coast and speaks French. After a minute the teacher began talking about expectations and other thrilling information students receive on the first couple days of school. Abraham keeps looking sideways at me and smiling. I'm trying to gauge when it would be a good time to introduce myself without interrupting the teacher. Suddenly, Abraham leans over to me and says, "What grade are you in?"
NOT A MA'AM AFTER ALL!!!!!! Apparently I look 12! Better than 72!
I'm not sure if anyone else in my age bracket has this issue, but I seem to notice a lot of people calling me "ma'am" lately. Does this bug anyone else? I think it was not long ago that I was being call "miss"! Is it the wedding ring that automatically makes people default to the "ma'am" intro? Just because I have a wedding ring on does not mean I have my hair in a top know and have to wear trifocals to see my receipt! I would say any public place I go, "ma'am" is used over half the time. Now, being a girl, this makes me a little self-conscious. I start thinking back to when I actually had a GRAY eyebrow (somehow I don't think I would have a blond eyebrow). I can't find any on my head yet, but perhaps someone has seen one?!? Needless to say, I have to wonder if I am looking older than I am.
All that changed two days ago! Let me give you a little info on my new job here in Indiana. It is different than a regular teaching job, since I service kids all over two different schools, and go into their classrooms to help out. I am at en elementary and a middle school, each for half a day.
I am now in the process of trying to introduce myself to these kids. At the elementary school, I can just walk up to the child, introduce myself and they're so excited to meet a teacher that they're just about ready to give me their life savings. Very easy to get the elementary kids confortable with you. I have learned I cannot take that approach with 6-8 graders. Strange as it may sound, they will not run up and hug me at the very sight of my teaching badge. So I have begun to just go into some classrooms, sit in there and observe. The other day, I was going into a 6th grade reading class. All the student desks had been moved into a circle and it was a small class, so the teacher told me I could just grab a seat in the circle while she taught.
I ended up sitting next to one of the students I will be seeing. His name is Dado (but goes by Abraham). Abraham is from the Ivory Coast and speaks French. After a minute the teacher began talking about expectations and other thrilling information students receive on the first couple days of school. Abraham keeps looking sideways at me and smiling. I'm trying to gauge when it would be a good time to introduce myself without interrupting the teacher. Suddenly, Abraham leans over to me and says, "What grade are you in?"
NOT A MA'AM AFTER ALL!!!!!! Apparently I look 12! Better than 72!
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