Random Tuesday Thoughts

Oh boy, random day. The day in which nothing has to connect, go together or hang with any cohesion. Hmm, sounds like any other given day...

As a guest teacher in my kids' school I have met pretty much every kid. Some of them I know better than others. Some of them S.P. has heard so many stories about if he were to ever meet their parents in the store I would have to jam my elbow into his side and my hand over his mouth. Why is it, when we celebrate perfect attendance each month, the kids who we teachers WISH would stay home once in awhile are the ones who never, ever miss a day?

We are going to a family wedding this weekend in Utah, and part of the Friday night pre-wedding fun includes a meet-and-greet party hosted by the groom's family. The invite read "business casual attire". Since most of our invitations these days are to kids' parties or home parties where only your wallet is required, that phrase isn't one I'm down with. S.P. said it's pretty much whatever you would wear to work. He would wear slacks and a sport shirt, I could wear nice pants and top. Just no jeans. It got me to thinking, though. What if you worked in porn? Or if you were a stripper? It would certainly add a new dimension to that phrase now wouldn't it?

Why do clothing manufacturers make thong underwear for nine-year olds? I was shopping for Pony Girl and saw it on the rack, and was...well, words fail me. I wanted to ask the clerk where the matching push-up corsets were.

I was so mad last week I wanted to cuss, but at the same time could have cried as well. My job for the day was teaching sixth grade. The morning math assignment was dividing and multiplying with decimals and one of the boys stayed in for extra help. Turned out that the reason it was so difficult is he doesn't know his times tables. He was counting on his fingers and guessing, and I'm trying to help and thinking "oh my Lord, they're sending this boy to seventh grade next year and he has no grasp of basic math?" The regular teacher told me no one supports him at home and he can only absorb so much during the day...

On the other hand, during social studies the students were supposed to be researching and writing reports on presidents. After making several circuits of the room I noticed one boy was doing nothing AT ALL. When I asked him to show me what he had, he said that was impossible as it didn't exist. In short, he had no intention of doing the work because, I quote, "rich and famous video game designers don't need to do this kind of stuff". Pissed me off because here's a kid whose parents DO support him at home, and who is capable of being successful at school, and he's just wasting it. So I went to the phone, called his mom (who I am friends with), and let her know he had a research project due Tuesday that he was not planning to do. Told her what he said, too. She asked for a copy of the project plan and told me his weekend plans had just changed....

I hate to copy anyone, but I share Casey's (Half As Good As You) secret lust for french fries. In high school we used to buy fries and chocolate shakes and dip the fries into them. Ooh, bliss. And there are times now at 9:30 p.m. that I want to get in the car and drive into town for a bag of fresh hot fries from the golden arches. My second secret lust is the hash browns from the same place. And while eating fries I poke each one to make sure it is not a hard crunchy one. Only the soft-inside, crispy-outside ones get eaten. Then I can pretend I have been virtuous:"See, I didn't eat ALL the fries..."

Better. Now that my head is cleared out I can get some work done!