Better Things To Do

I am still being treated for my ankle, my shoulder and my neck. The healing is going very slowly. I really have better things to do than pray for migraines to go away, get a CT scan done of my ankle or pray they will approve more therapy for my shoulder. I have better things to do than be in pain. At least I'm not sick anymore, that's a small blessing. And with every pop I hear in my neck, snap in my ankle, and crunch in my shoulder, I hope I'm that much closer to relieving my present migraine and that much closer to being completely healed.

Yellow Scavenger Hunt

One of the side effects of the accident is that I currently drive a yellow rental car that gets alot of comments.

#1 Wow, Miss D, that is really YELLOW.
#2 I don't think I've seen anything more yellow.

MissD: It's my taxi. I have to find some way to afford to still be a teacher, so now I run a taxi service. Rides home for 2 bucks. Any takers?

#3 How about you drive us to go shopping??
MissD: In the banana?

One my students stumbled upon the fact that I hadn't locked my car, hopped into it and had one of her friends take a picture with her in the car.
#4 Miss D, my favorite teacher, can we borrow your car to go to 7-11??
#5 MissD, where's your other car?
MissD: Remember that Stoopid Lady who hit me? Well, they decided it was her fault. My car is in the shop and they gave me this one while mine is being fixed.
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So, in honor of my yellow rental car, I decided to host a yellow scavenger hunt for one of my choirs. I thought I might get one of the large yellow trash cans from Sassy. I didn't. One girl wore a yellow shirt, another had yellow in her bag. Other than that, most of them didn't put much thought into it--yellow in a candy cane, 2 gift cards, a bottle cap. It was fun to take pictures of all the entries by my car. I gave them all chocolate for participating.

What can I say? I had my own yellow scavenger hunt at the store. I bought a banana, a bell pepper and lemon and took a picture of all of them lined up on my rental car. I have to find ways to amuse myself otherwise life would be miserable.

One of the girls wrote Chamber Choir loves Miss D on the whiteboard. I was really touched. Having a different approach to choir has made a 100% difference in how well they sing.

Another Sick Day

I wasn't feeling well at all on Thursday, but felt like I had to go to school because of meetings. Yes, the meeting with the principal.

I was barely hanging on by a thread. My students got really concerned.
Gina: Miss D, are you OK?
MissD: Not really. I feel like I can't breathe.
Gina: Do you have a fever?
Instantly, her high school hand was on my forehead.
Gina: No, you don't have a fever.
Izzy: Miss D, you should sit down.
Gina: Look, you're even wearing a pretty color today.
MissD: Yes, I did it for you. You guys always give me such a bad time about wearing black.

I felt gross. But they were so sweet. It touched my heart.

I wouldn't have made it without my accompanist today. She came a little bit later than class started because we were on a different schedule today.

I took Friday off and now Monday I won't be going in. I've seriously had a cough for a month now. I was so happy until the car accident and then it seems like that triggered everything falling apart.

The Mother of All Migraines

Miss D, where were you yesterday?

I was in bed with a migraine. I was seeing tunnels of light and stars. It would have been pretty if it didn't hurt so much.

I've been having strong and frequent migraines since the car accident. Unfortunately, my migraine has turned into a 3 day event, this is day 3. Going to see my doctor for an adjustment to my neck sort of helped, but I was still confused at 1pm, nauseous at 2pm and crying at 4 pm. The janotor brought me water and a choice of alleve and tylenol in those small foil packets. I thanked him profusely. We've forged an odd friendship. Don't tell, but I took all of them.

The stress of the day didn't help. You see, my 3 day event had really bad timing. Grades were due. I was slammed with phone call after phone call. My grades were sent back because I didn't fill them out right. I did my best, but I really could barely think.

I still have to do grades for my other school first thing in the morning. I should have been there yesterday, but sometimes you just CAN'T and that's why there are substitute teachers.

We had a BTSA meeting this afternoon. Other first year teachers go through the same kind of stresses. I felt better knowing that I'm not alone.

The principal wants to see me tomorrow. I hate the sense of dread that goes with that. I feel like I'm in trouble with everyone for something that I could barely help. I'm pretty sure I'll be having to look for a new job for next year.

Recipe for Spring Break Social Disaster

Sometimes my kids ask me if I party or used to party in high school. Well...

Take 1 stressed out choir teacher on spring break who wants to have fun and add:

1 car accident
1 migraine on and off for 1.5 weeks
1 Celebrex for injured shoulder
1 Flexeril for muscle spasms
2 Tesalon pearls for oncoming cough
4 Alleve for migraine
1 guy hitting on her at restaurant
1 guy asking for coffee date
1 guy she used to date, also at restaurant
1 guy with ulterior motives for interfering
5 glasses of wine
4 course meal of elf-like portions

Make sure teacher doesn't eat all day long from headache and forgets about alcohol warning labels on medications. Add together slowly in an Italian restaurant for 3 hours. Watch all judgement, grace, social polish and emotional control completely disappear as she becomes so intoxicated she doesn't know where she is. When she wants protection from the other guys, she goes to the guy she used to date and then starts sobbing uncontrollably which only causes a major scene and great embarrassment.

I remember high school parties being about like that.

Welcome Back with Sass

I went back to school with my migraine finally under control. Sometimes it's back to the same old, same old sassiness.

Things keep getting worse with Sassy. He's the kid who jumped off the choir risers and onto a chair. I have him for two classes. Today I got extra sass.

I was giving announcements about what was going to happen when we came back from break. It's hard enough to give announcements to a class. One time, as student played some of "A Whole New World" I ended up singing most of the song. That worked to get them to be quiet. Sassy was talking to one of his closest friends. I asked him to be quiet. He continued his talking.

D-Sassy, will you stop talking while I'm talking.
S-Can you ask nicely?
D-I already did ask.
S-You want us to respect you, so you should talk to us with respect.
D-Everyone else is quiet and listening and you're still talking. I suggest you back down now or you will get a referral.

He backed down. He knows that might mean getting senior privileges taken away. I thought there would be peace. I went to my office to get something and heard a ruckus and a door slam. My talkers were gone. I called the attendance office and told them who was truant for when they call home. See if I count you as here if you leave my class like that.

He actually behaved himself in choir, though I don't know why.

I'm getting a really tough skin from dealing with all of this crap.

No Kids!

I just called the sub finder. I'm on day 5 of a migraine that started after the accident. Yeah, sure, Soma (muscle relaxer) has been fun to take at times, but conducting choir will just aggravate things.

As a single, all I have to do when I don't want to be around kids is call in sick. It's kind of nice not to have your own. In fact, I'm not sure if I ever want any of my own. Maybe the right guy will someday change my mind.

But I sort of miss my girls. I moved all the boys out of one of my choirs to have all the boys together. Those who stayed I knew were headed to continuation school and eventually were gone. So now it's just girls. We can do really fun repertoire that I can't do with a mixed choir like some songs from Grease and girl group songs from the 50s.

But some of them I just wonder if they're OK. 1 showed up with a bruise on her face, a souvenir from a bad ex-boyfriend. One has a baby and has lost alot of family members this year. Quite a few have really bad family situations. We aren't talking about fights with parents over curfew. We're talking about a 17-year-old taking care of her sister's babies while the sister is in jail for defending her children from an abusive ex. Some things are just unspeakable and they won't tell me anything at all. Some of them I just miss their sweetness and willingness to do whatever is asked. Some I miss their quietness--how is is that they never seem to make a sound except when they sing? Some, I miss their sassiness--don't tell them that, though!! I am missing a little joy without seeing them. Despite all these circumstances, sometimes they sound SOOO good!

I miss some of my other students too, but mostly, I miss my choir girls.

My Accident, the Talk of the Town

I left school at around 4:10 pm. I was driving around 30mph even though I could have been driving it faster because it's technically after school hours. But I don't. I work at the high school and there is a skateboard park where one of my students was hit by a car and landed in the hospital for seven days. He was in a coma and no one was sure he would make it. Do you think I would speed there? Hell NO!! I had my left turn signal on, was going to get into the left turn lane. Then some lady didn't stop at the stop sign coming off the highway. I tried to get out of her way by changing lanes to the right. She still hit me. Kaboom.

My neck hurts. I called the police. It should be cut and dry. She had a stop sign. I tried to get out of her way. She still crashed into me. She tried to say I was speeding and that I came out of nowhere. She was following the guy in front of her and it was clear. Ummm, yeah right. She had a stop sign.

The cafeteria lady saw me.

CLady: Miss D, are you OK? I just wanted to stop and make sure.
MissD: Yeah, though my neck hurts and I'm waiting for the police to make a report.
Clady: Here, you can have my Diet Coke. I just got it and I haven't drunk from it yet.
MissD: Aww, thanks, you're so sweet. And it won't do anything to add to my waist!

The next day I parked my car where students could see it. Then I walked to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. I love these breakfast sausage pizzas that they make. So delicious. Half the staff was asking if I was OK. It was really kind of sweet. We heard what happened to you. Are you OK?

I drew a diagram of what my car did and what the stoopid lady did.
Stdnt: Miss D, you can't spell. That's not how you spell stupid.
MissD: Well, it is when someone is soooper stooopid.

At least two students came up to me and said, Hey Miss D, I saw you on the street with your car. One was on a bus that I remember pulling into the parking lot as I was pulling out. It later passed by me on the street. Would the stoopid lady have hit that bus?

Some students said stupid stuff like they did when I sprained my ankle.
Wow Miss D, what did you do to your car?
Did you hit a parked car?
Can you drive?
Did you get your license from a Cracker Jack box?
Can we kick your car since it's already jacked up? No one will even notice.

Seriously, I remember saying some of these same kinds of things when I was a kid, so it doesn't really bother me that much. For the most part, I felt like people were actually concerned and glad that I was OK. Except for the kid who jumped onto the chair and broke it.

Miss D: I'm sure everyone wants to know what happened, so I drew a diagram.
Sassy: I don't want to know.

Oh well. You can't win them all.