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.

Can someone make me popcorn?

I just made some. Put a bowl under your internet connection.

I just made some. Put a bowl under your internet connection.

Yay!

Thanks for the ~ma, y'all. Today has been sucktastic all around. Turns out 20 people in my building were RIF'd today. And, I don't want to speak publicly about all this, but let me just say school politics truly suck and teachers are not really cared about at some levels. I understand financial issues, but our district has a financial surplus right now. And, well, it just sucks.

I'm sorry, sweetie. Just from hearing you talk about your class and your students, I can tell that you are dedicated teacher. I hate that our system does not prioritize education and teachers the way that they should.