Be back soon...

I will be posting after school is officially a thing of my past!
herbst pictures

El Seis de Mayo

We are celebrating Cinco de Mayo one day late in my Spanish class.  Today the eleven Spanish 1 students and I will get to travel to Macon and visit the Mexican Restaurant during Home Room, Lunch, and Spanish class.  Then I have an appointment, so I'm taking the rest of the day off.

Yesterday we had our Taco Salad party for my family.  My Paleo Tortilla Chips turned out pretty yummy...  a bit thick and hard, even though I rolled the dough out between two pieces of parchment.  They would be a good vehicle for a heavy dip.  Kind of reminded me of Wheat Thins, my favorite cracker...  except made with Almond Flour, egg whites, and olive oil plus seasonings and salt.

photo by dc.about.com

Whispers

 Sunday clouds sigh one last time; windy, chilled skies promise at least one more unseasonably cool rain to soak into sodden lands lying fertile, waiting for the seeds of spring.  My son brought my potted plants indoors, and I cautiously hope my lilies outdoors did not freeze...  While something me responds to gray, billowy skies, I still have the bonds with flowers forged a long time ago in my grandmothers' gardens.  Both were at home in a garden, happy with earth on their hands and hope in mind for future flowers...

 Today brings indoor jobs... Laundry, cookies baking for company later on tonight, last tucking away of snippets of Easter, and taco salads waiting in the fridge.  I feel separated already from school, and more at home amid the scurry of cloud, rain, and growing things.  God whispers calming thoughts in my darkened night, and all feels cautiously optimistic yet strange --- like mercurial lightning, thunder, and storm.

Celebramos!

What could be better than one last chance for chili and Cinco de Mayo....  I ask you!  We all may be shocked by the sudden drop in temperature--- even snow!  But we are planning a little Tex Mex for tomorrow.  My son has been rocking the Paleo diet for about eight months with fantastic results.  I know it's not for everyone, but he has lost over a hundred pounds plus bringing a total remission of constant gall bladder attacks on a scary, severe level.

So we will have Paleo friendly Taco Salad and chili cups.  His will be minus beans and cheese (worth crying over to me!).....

I'm making crispy nacho seasoned  onion rings for garnish...  Como se dice YUM en espanol?

The Dance of Weather in Spring

The weather flirts with the idea of spring, tempts us with 80 degree warmth and blooms springing from every bush, branch and barrel.  Then, in a coy attempt announce its supremacy, the winds bring in cold rain, storms, possible snow in May.  Early morning, pre-dawn, my mind began a melancholy echo to the weather. 

By the time the sun should have risen, we had been deluged again with wild, windy storms through the night.   

 For early morning poetry, it's possible to simply breathe in the colors of the sky.  I prefer the twilight of evening to dawn's rosy promise.  Memories over promise, perhaps.  Rich sun drowning the land in apricot at evening...  Snippets of songs run through the mind, bringing an odd assortment of images...


Shall the day actually bring snow?  It won't be here for long, but even so...  weather again demonstrates her majesty, omnipotence, and splendor.  Little plants, you must wait in your boxes for just a while longer.

Good Morning... One Dozen, right?

I used to love the movie, Anne of a Thousand Days....  It truly made its mark on my heart, especially the soliloquy at the end...

I hope not to drone on and on about retirement for the next few days.  At least you will see an  end in sight as I have only one dozen days left to teach.  It never ends.  For example, I just shot down a student's essay, which had been copied straight from the internet...  I can't explain how it is that we old teachers just "know" something is not from their minds and skills.  Voice.  We all have a voice in what we write.  I hear it in your blogs, written from your hearts.  It's what makes us realize we could be friends if geography had put us in the same neighborhood...  It's why some blogs surface over and over again as our favorites.

And why is it that young people when caught, dead caught with the paper pulled up on Wikipedia, or in this case FREE ESSAY.COM or some such nonsense...  don't then just hang their heads and say, "Got me."  They insist they magically, miraculously came up with the exact same juxtaposition of words, phrases, and vocabulary arrangement (usually words not in their frame of reference at all.)  I have lost more battles with this than I've won.  Even with the administration and support...  Cheating is cheating.  In this case the young woman is a senior and plans to submit "her" essay to a contest for a scholarship being awarded by the family of a young soldier killed in Afghanistan.  They may not catch it.  And maybe the money will help her go on to school and be more than she is today...  At any rate, I told her the truth.  I found the paper online in about ten minutes, and I got one of my last big huffs of my career (I sincerely hope.)  Put this kind of thing on the list of why retirement sounds delicious...

And so, taking the 180 day school calendar as my multiplier, I am Gayla of the 6,660 days...  minus 12...
I feel as if I'm marching semi-awake, and semi dreamlike toward a veiled precipice...  I seem okay with it... Whether I float, flail, or flat-out fall to my demise...  I seem okay with marching right off that cliff.

Retirement Party

Yesterday the teachers threw the five of us who are retiring a lovely little retirement Open House....  We welcomed many coworkers, parents, students...  family.  It was really a nice day.  Lots of cards, gifts, and kind words.  I feel so blessed by all the kindness I've been shown during this final month...  Kind of makes me quiet...  not sad, not moody...  just quiet and thoughtful. I have nothing much to say.   My freshmen start the big State Test tomorrow in English, today in Algebra...  It's really, finally, almost the day...  13 and a half....  Have a great week.

Magic Happens

Spending a day at home...  Recuperating from the week, my fall, and too little sleep...  Little dreams, sparkling gazing balls,  and red velvet cake....

The One About the Drama Couch.... Meet Me in St. Louis Memories...

Pictured below are the original 1976 cast members of Bevier's production of  Meet Me in St. Louis.  It was my first year teaching...  Today these young people are my friends, the successful parents and grandparents of my students.......  all grown up.  Sadly, four of these amazing young people have passed away...

Hey, since it's my blog, I guess I can do something totally indulgent.  I'm going to write about some of the most memorable and important events that happened to me as a teacher.  In no particular order...  and I plan to leave out a few for good measure.

The one that immediately comes to mind is the tale of my intrepid Drama Club in the Spring of 1976...  I was a totally new teacher and a complete novice to Drama in any form.   Not only had I never directed a play, studied Drama in college...  I had been in only a few little plays in elementary...  I was GREEN.  Luckily I ran into the most agreeable, talented, cooperative group of young people imaginable.  We produced a two night stand of "Meet Me in St. Louis."  Starting from scratch, we built the "flats" (which is the technical name for the background, and I did not even know this.)...  The kids taught me to paint them in bright colors, something never imagined at home decor...  We faithfully rehearsed the huge cast, juggling practice schedules with a less than cooperative Coach and a few glitches here and there...

But we had no furniture.  Finally a couple of teen actors announced they knew a likely spot to score a couch for the event...  They were privy to info on an abandoned home.  True to my spirit, I was all in.  We headed out to the abandoned house without a thought to the legality of  "tresspassing."  The house still stays in my memory..  I had heard of the RAPTURE in the Bible, when all souls just transport to Heaven, leaving everything on earth as it is...  This house was just that way.  Even though the roof was almost gone, and the floors had been deteriorated to simple beams, the daily living of the place was evident.  Books were open, the cabinets were stocked.  China stayed in the cupboards, and glasses lay on the table by a crumpled yellow newspaper...

I and my flock of Thespian Trespassers made careful trips, stepping widely across the beams and peering into the abyss of the basement below...  Did ideas and threats of lawsuits and even imminent danger appear to me? Naw...  not so much.  We finally saw "IT,"  a beautiful leather couch with carved arms and back...

My brain finally kicked in.  We couldn't take that couch without permission.  (Well, my brain kicked in partially...)  I sent the same two students who had located this home to ask permission from the total strangers who had abandoned it.   I had no idea who these people were or where they now lived.  The rest of us simply sat in the skeletal front room of that home and waited for the verdict.  The two came back beaming.  They said it was fine.  "All systems were GO."  So my troupe and I hauled the couch to the back of my truck, and the students all piled on it in the back.  We sat on that couch all the way through our town and the five-mile ride to the next...  We even took the pickup with the couch and students on a wild ride through the downtown "block" -----whooping and hollering with joy, youth, ....  and stupidity, actually.

Then we "sunk" about $25 or more in refinishing supplies, leather soap, etc., and we proceeded to restore the beautiful leather and clean/refinish the gorgeous carving...  We worked tirelessly, but slowly the old couch breathed again, and we were so proud.  Naturally I posted a huge THANK YOU to that family, calling them by name, in the bulletin for our event.

First Night, a Friday, arrived..  the play was a roaring success.  A well-meaning parent who had attended the play saw the "family" in town on early Saturday and naturally remarked to them what a nice gesture it had been to "lend the Drama Class their couch"..  Um...  well, the truth has never come out.  I don't know if the two I sent, in fact. asked and were told no or didn't bother to ask because they were aware of the private nature of this couple.  Ultimately bear in mind the family had a reputation that anyone in town would have known NOT to bother...  They were NOT the usual, benevolent, social, community retirees-- ready to help.  I have no idea what their story was..  I do understand their total and absolute right to be MAD AS .....you know what.

Early Saturday morning I received a phone call from my superintendent, John R. Amedei, a beloved Italian gentleman who will forever hold my utmost respect and love...  He began the phone call with and excited voice...  then he began shouting and then.... he got louder.  Evidently the family who owned the couch were there at his home threatening to call the police if the couch didn't get put back PRONTO..  As in--- I had exactly thirty minutes to get my pickup, drive to Bevier, load the couch, and return it to the decaying, unfortunate home...

For the life of me, I can't remember doing that, but it got done...  and yhen we used a completely horrible couch propped up on brickbats for the second night's performance.  We found that second couch in the basement of the school, covered in soot and ash...  glaringly an orange and green plaid....  and full of holes, mouse poop, and the smoke and stories of an elderly janitor who had supposedly died near or on that couch...

And nothing happened more.  I didn't yell or discipline the kids.  My superintendent spoke no more of it to me.  The family simply slipped back into their state of preferred oblivion....  And I lived to tell the tale...

Ups and Downs of a Day in Spring...

Well, today's temperature and climate are surprising cold, beautiful, and invigorating.  We have so much going on here at school, and I did an overnight cooking spree again!  This time I'm thinking it was for me because I made a lovely little Tortellini Salad, and my mom isn't much of a tortellini person...  My mom loves the sweet or the "crunch" and tortellini is neither!

Great News!  Our Academic Bowl team  is headed for State Competition.  I'm thrilled for them, and I believe it is a FIRST!  Those kids are amazing!

Officially had a little blunder this morning.  I had a nasty fall coming out my door.  My ankle twisted, and I fell into a table and cracked my head on the floor...  I kind of thought I would just sit there for the rest of the today...  Haha..  but after a few minutes I got up and limped to the car...  I begged an ice pack from Coach, and I think I'll survive!  My biggest problem is determining which "boo boo" I want to ice...  I voted for the ankle...  It has a little tennis ball size swelling going on....  I had new shoes, which I blame...  So I'm sending them back.  Fifty bucks will be fun to deposit in my account.  I literally took three steps in them, and because the soles are like air but they have a little wedge, I lost my footing and rolled the ankle..  I guess...



Well, back to the salad...  Here's how I made it:  I boiled the tortellini (purchased from Schwan) and a few grated carrots (bought precut in the bag).  I added them to two ribs of celery, diced small, and half an onion, minced, a tsp. of crushed garlic, salt and pepper..  Then I poured over it my favorite creamy Italian dressing and about a 1/4 c. shake of Parmesan from a jar...  I loved it warm, and I can't wait for lunch because I brought a little container...  cold!

Have a fun day...