Oh, Kristin, I'm glad you're department head is behind you and is going to work on this. I was so disappointed for you. Much work-out~ma coming your way.

Ok. I have armed myself with water, my favorite purple pen, and Popsicles. I'm about to read the last two orphan articles of the semester. Hopefully, I won't spork my eyes out. At least one of them is going to be a bunch of info I've read 100 different ways already, but the other is on a Chicago orphanage, specifically. So, that one should be a little different/interesting, though still depressing.

I will need entertaining during this challenge.

Oh, Kristin, I'm glad you're department head is behind you and is going to work on this.

Thanks (to JZ and DJ as well). Alas, the question of whether or not the class will run is not up for debate. The only thing that my dept. head might be able to do at this point is to find out what financial incentive I have to teach a 5th class and what alternative 5th classes are available. It's pretty much a given that I'm going to get caught teaching four sections of 9th. My ideal scenario at this point would be to be able to teach a creative writing class as the 5th. Not sure if I have a prayer of getting that.

If the choice is 5 sections of 9th with extra money or 4 sections of 9th without, I'm going for the latter. Greed does not outweigh potential self-sporkage.

I had a riff about the kids who were going to sign up sending yellow wallpaper to your school administration which got deleted. I'm sorry about your class though and that all your hard work is for naught.

Is there a chance of offering it at a later date if you can prove interest is high?

Thanks, DJ. I think I could propose the same course next year and try again. Not sure. We'll see, I guess.

Okay. Enough about me. I'm going to take an Advil, head home, and take a nap.

t snuggles Bitches

Thanks for listening.

I change. I have changed because of people. As far as I know any concerted effort to change me has failed, but I change. It's why I keep going, because I'm not all of me yet.

Wow, ita. That was well put.

Everybody, stop having problems! I'm running out of new ways to say "hang in there, baby; we love you!"

I've been informed that my AP Women's Lit. class that I've worked so friggin' hard on and was so excited to teach next year is not going to be offered. And why? Because the pre-registration, which happened BEFORE most of the current junior knew anything about this course, only yielded four students signing up. Never mind that the real registration is this week, and I know of several more student who were planning to register for it. It might have been possible to run the course if they had given it a chance. Apparently, they aren't going to bother.

My favorite high school English teacher offered to teach a Shakespeare course if I could rustle up 10 other students to take it, since he needed 11 to run the course. I canvassed the school (although the school only held grades 10-12, we had over 1,500 students) and found a good dozen (it helped that he was a very popular teacher).

We went to Toddler Zone today and Owen got props for sitting through all of story time, NOT taking anyone else's snack and singing and marching to "The Ants Go Marching" song. First time in a long while he hasn't tossed a fit for me when it was time to put toys away. I was so relieved (and proud) of him. It was a day that didn't make me feel like an abject failure (I know I'm NOT one, but it really feels that way sometimes).

Hugs and martinis to Stephanie, JZ, Kristin, and whomever else needs them.

Still working on the 5 (!!) presentations that I'm giving this weekend. Doh!

Shit I didn't say: Why do you always end up needing to go home "sick" whenever I ask you to do some work?

I'm going to see Kristin Hersh tonight!!! Drinks will be consumed! Fun will be had!

singing and marching to "The Ants Go Marching" song.

CUTE. I love that song. It reminds me of the daycare at Seattle Children's (which is probably where I learned it). Yay Owen!

Kristin, I'm sorry.

Kristin, so sorry. It stinks that there's a teacher who's excited about something and the PTB won't give it a chance.

JZ, I'm sorry about the job. Does your position with UC get you into the pension system? Because don't you have like 15 years in? Have you considered how much the next 5 years are actually worth over your lifetime? Because if you've got the same deal I had, it would have been impossible for me to justify leaving at 15 years in. Signed, Not My Business So You Don't Have to Answer That But I Ran a Lot of Numbers Before Handing In My Resignation at one of the Country's Best Pension Plans.

I'm sorry for the disappointment, Kristin.

I'm fighting with both the boys. Oh, joy. One had his phone taken from him in school by the teacher and I am a horrible mean mother because I am taking the teacher's side. The other hasn't done a damn thing on the list of stuff he is supposed to do, and I got a bad email from a teacher, and he is upset because I won't let him go to his thing tonight on empty promises.

Parenting sucks.