{{Drew}} I am sorry for all the shitty you are having to deal with.

Erin, you are a wonderful person and a wonderful teacher. I'm so sorry that you haven't found a new job yet.

Could not be said enough.

Buffista Academy!!!!! I SO want to teach there!!!!! I foresee that this may be my last year at my current job. According to the new contract, our contact minutes will be going up to 1550/week next year and that will NOT include any safety/security minutes we're required to put in like outdoor duty, hallway duty, etc. That means that, in all likelihood, I will be teaching 7 classes and 1 advisory with one plan/lunch period. I currently teach 6, have 1 advisory, and one plan period and one 30 minute lunch. I cannot imagine taking on another classload along with my extracurricular responsibilities. I would be dead dead dead by spring break. My current schedule is too much a lot of the time.

ChiKat, that's insane. This has to stop. They can't keep treating public school teachers like this or everyone is going to jump ship like I did.

In totally unrelated news, I've been watching a fascinating series on VH1 about the sexual revolution in the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Every now and then I'm reminded how lucky we are in the US to have the freedoms we do and how hard people fought for them. They were just talking about Bill Baird, who traveled from poor area to poor area teaching about birth control to people with no access to sex education. He founded the pro-choice league after watching a girl die from an illegal abortion.

I could never be a full time attendant or CNA, I just don't have it in me. There is a CNA here helping with Mom right now and I'm helping out too and just...I couldn't do it full time, I can barely do it for this.

A good friend of mine is a CNA for a house for developmentally disable adults, and there's NO WAY I could do what she does. She is amuch more patient person than I.

I have so much respect for CNAs. This is the new person, right? How is s/he?

Drew, I have some inkling how you feel about that.

ChiKat, that's insane. This has to stop.

Yes, it is, and yes, it does. The middle schools are negotiating our new schedules for next year during this school year. If it shakes out like I expect, I will be looking for another job in another district.

Or, I'll just look for a new job at Buffista Academy. I'd totally relocate for that.

She's great. I just suck at doing this stuff.

I have so much respect for CNAs.

Oh, me, too. There's one who works with my dad, Shirley, who I adore. She's fantastic and will take no guff from my dad, who frequently needs someone who will call bullshit on him.

We interrupt this conversation for Kristin to freak out like a mammal about the fact that JC Penny is using The Breakfast Club as advertising fodder for Back to School.

Sacrilege!