Ugh ChiKat, that sucks. Makes me ragey on your behalf.

Egad, ChiKat. Good luck!

Oh, ugh, ChiKat. I'm so sorry. Matilda's two favorite teachers here just got RIF'd too; Hec talked to them a bit about it, and apparently it's just a queasy yearly ritual--fired in the spring, state lege and governor wrangle over the budget all summer, re-hired just before fall. It's got to be absolutely crazy-making, and it's amazing to me that any teachers manage to be functional (let alone, as so many improbably are, brilliant) with that sword constantly hanging over your heads.

Chikat, I'm so sorry. It's terrible to think that a talented, dedicated teacher is put through the ringer through no fault of her own, over and over. That lack of security and continuity is screwing with our youth, too.

I'm wishing something better/more secure coming your way immediately.

Jeez, Chikat, that sucks. Hope you find something awesome soon. (sometimes, although this is a total headfuck, people get slips and they get asked back too.) That sounds cruel and unusual.

It's just... there are a lot of traits that I'm by nature not that I have had to develop for my work, because it all boils down to one thing: what does this person need me to do/say/be to meet their needs at this moment? If I have to be firm or authoritative in a particular situation because that is what the person's developmental needs require, then I will bloody well do that. If the person needs me to answer the 37th time s/he asked that same question today as patiently as I did the first time, when s/he's already asked me the same question 37 times each and every day I have showed up to work with him or her, I will bloody well answer patiently each and every time for 400,953 times. Their needs come first; this isn't to say that I can never pay any attention to my own needs, because if I don't meet my own needs then I lose my ability to meet theirs, my desire to avoid confrontation and let others lead, and my desire to strike out sarcastically when annoyed simply do not actually qualify as needs.

You are the best, Andi.

And Scrappy said it. We define ourselves by our behaviors and resist changing them, even when it will turn our lives around. Good on you AND your therapist, Scrappy!

At one point in our harrowing session (My arms are so sore today from holding the child away from me and keeping her from hitting herself.) I asked how the parents had decided to use negotiating as their organizing principle.

They looked perplexed and then I could see the dawning on their faces. Oh. Right. We didn't discuss parenting at all!

So, yeah. Back to square one for everyone.

I'll confess, I was fully prepared to get an email saying they would not be coming back. Instead, they wrote to say that, despite how hard it was, they are glad they found me and are looking forward to tomorrow. Phew!

Oh Chikat, I'm so sorry to hear that. Stupidtastic Priorities - our country's greatest product these days.

So, when does Buffista Academy start up? I'm a kick ass drama and video production teacher.

Funny, Raq and I were just talking about this. We could do an amazing school of the air. Also, world domination class would be fun.

Also, world domination class would be fun.

This would be taught by Clovis the Devilbunny, right?

And Ryan.

edit: "Cute them into submission!"

This would be taught by Clovis the Devilbunny, right?

hahahaha. And Owen.

We could build a really wicked guest speaker list too.

Can someone make me popcorn? I need really really salty popcorn.