National Addiction Awareness Week

It was Addiction Awareness Week at school this week. The kids were pretty forward in asking me questions. Perhaps it’s because I’m young and they can relate to me the most. Perhaps it’s because I’m new and they are testing me of what I’ll say. Perhaps it’s because I’m usual pretty honest and I’ve told them a little about my youth (I did bring in my yearbooks with the celebrity I went to school with and they saw pictures of me in high school). It could be a combination of these things.

This week I got asked a couple questions that were tricky. I also thought about what I’d do if kids asked me some hard questions. I want to be as honest as possible because a) I’m a terrible liar and b)I want to be as real as possible. There are also good ways to answer the questions that deflect a bad answer and get the kid thinking about something else.

I got asked if I’ve ever been drunk before. I answered yes ... because I have. Most of you know about puke-a-rama at New Year’s 2000. The kid asked me when. I said when I was young and stupid. Of course I’m not going to tell the story of the last time I was drunk.

I got asked if I ever bullied someone. I said yes. I said I help spread rumours about some people in high school. We’ve been studying bullying in HCE. Of course I didn’t tell them about how I’d make fun of this nerdy girl at school to behind her back and to her face.



No kid asked me if I’ve taken drugs. I had a good answer for that one (that I’ve used before). I answer yes. And the kid asks me what I’ve taken and I say Tylonol, Asperin, Ny Quil, and Cleritin. When I’ve given this answer kids usual just roll their eyes at me. I waiting for when a kid asks me if I’ve taken illegal drugs .. or ask if I’ve ever abuse drugs. The abuse one is easy. No... and the reason (which I won’t tell kids) is because I’ve tried a couple of drug and the experiences were awful so I’ll never try them again. I have an answer for the illegal drug question too. I tell them I don’t want to answer it and then I’ll say why. If I answer yes, the kid will probably change their opinion of me and I don’t want that. If I say no, then the kid may think I’m lying (which I will be) or may change their opinion of me. Either way, I don’t like the consequences.

Here is a question that I thought of that has stumped me on an answer. Why is it ok for adults to drink and not teenagers? There are the BS answers. Because it’s the law. Because you’re still growing and you need to be healthy. Because kids usually don’t act responsible with alcohol. But why is it ok for adults? A lot of adults don’t make the right decisions about alcohol. How many adults do you know drink and drive? I know a few. And it’s people my parents’ age that are the worst. People in their early 30s and under have been lectured to death about drinking and driving. And most adults I know buy alcohol to get drunk. True, most of the “adults” I know are quite young and still like to go to clubs and bars, but we’re not very responsible when it comes to alcohol. We drink to be stupid and get laid easier ... and get up the balls to sing Karaoke.



Maybe it’s ok because we truly understand the consequences of drinking. Hmm, do we really? I’ve done some stupid s*** while drunk, and it’s all been when I was legal drinking age. I was so paranoid of the bad things I heard about alcohol when I was younger, I was too scared to do anything the handful of times I drank under age. I understand (not just think I do) some of the consequences of drinking because I’ve been around this earth long enough to see them. I also know enough nurses/doctors/paramedic and police officers to hear the stories

So why is it OK for adults to drink and not teenagers? I don’t have a good answer for that. Is there a good answer that doesn’t make you look like an asshole hypocrite? Maybe if you are totally alcohol free you can get away with answering that question.

Arctic Air

I woke up this morning. Coincidentally, four minutes before my alarm would go off. Then I realized I didn't set it. I was feeling lucky that I was up in time for my morning jog. As I was putting my jogging stuff on, I was listening to the radio. The weather report was on.

My area has a northern arctic airflow warning. What does that mean? I understand what a rainfall warning or a snowfall warning is or even a tsunami warning. But I've never heard of a airflow warning. So after my jog, I trotted over to my computer to look that up.

Meteorologists classify frigid Northern Hemisphere air masses as Arctic when they are born north of the Arctic Circle. It is typified by extremely cold temperatures and very little moisture.

In the birth grounds of these air masses, the long, dark winter nights couple with clear skies and surfaces covered with snow and ice to continually chill the air. Little warming heat from the sun alleviates the cold. The surface snow and ice reflect away most of what little sun weakly beams down. To accentuate the lack of incoming heat, snow very effectively radiates away what little heat it has, thus dropping surface air temperatures until they reach the temperature of the high atmosphere.

The air masses build for some time in these frigid cradles, and the more time they spend in their deep-freeze birthing grounds, the cold and drier they become, chilling the air to bitter temperatures, often less than minus 40 ^oC/F. As a result of that extreme cold, arctic air masses have an extremely low water vapour content (absolute humidity). The low water vapour content further permits the loss of heat from the surface and the air above it because water vapour is a very effective greenhouse gas. The lower the water content, the more radiative heat is lost directly to space.

Eventually high-altitude winds catch the air masses and push them outward, usually toward the south and east as huge High pressure systems. This is strange because I'm in the west, not east.



I've seen evidence of this phenomena because all the moisture in the air is gone. It's wicked cold too. Talking to some students, they've commented it is not usual for it to be like this here. That's good to know because I'm freezing my ass off.

The temperature this morning, with windchill was - 18°C. Ouch! It will be like that overnight tonight.

At least it's not snowing.

Report Cards

Sorry, I've been bad about blogging but it's report card time. What a pain to have to write a comment about each student and then add up all their grades. The grade software the school uses sucks crap (I spent a day trying to get it to do what I want but it wouldn't) so I've done all the grades by hand. I will write an excel program soon to do what I want to do for me.

I dyed my hair. I have some nice subtle highlights that one of my students help me with. I'll post pictures when I get my camera this week.

Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! is a great game. I just noticed that the proper spelling when refering to the gameshow is Jeopardy! You need that exclamation point to clerify what you are talking about.

I love celebrity Jeopardy!. It always makes me feel so smart. I can usually answer 90% of the questions ... or I guess with jeopardy, it's give a question to all the answers.

Sometimes there's a really smart celebrity on too. Last night Michael McKean, who works often with Christopher Guest, was on. He totally kicked ass ... including beating the US secretary of education.

I love when I get final Jeopardy!. I feel like such a smarty. I don't care if they dumb down the questions for the celebrities, I still feel like the smartest person in the world when I get final Jeopardy!.

One of my brother's goals in life is to be a contestant on Jeopardy!. That is why I'd have him on my Family Feud team. I wish him all the luck.

I'm getting old

I was writing the date on the board, like I do every morning and I wrote today's date: Nov. 21.

I like the 21st because I was born on the 21st. The 21st of June. So it was my 5 month b-day. And then I realized next month will be my half year birthday. And being a math teacher, I know if you have a half you would round up to a whole (as opposed to rounding down).

Then I thought ahead and realized... this time next month, by rounding up, I will be closer to 30 than I am to 25.

My god that is scary. I'm almost 30. That is some freaky shit. At least I don't look it :)

In other news, I've accidentally said "fuck" twice now in front of students. In school. While I was teaching. Thank god only three students have heard me.

It made me realize I have to go cold turkey on the swearing. I'm not doing such a hot job. I've sworn twice in this entry already. The crazy things is that I was swearing over the same student both times.

The first time I was marking tests in the independent learning class I "teach". When I mark, I'm really rooting for all the students to do well. Well, one kid made a stupid mistake and got the question wrong. I said the F-word because I really wanted him to get the answer right. Two students heard me here.

The second time was when I was looking out the window. I saw my student returning to school (to my class) with a hot chocolate from the store. He had asked to go to the store and I said no. That makes sense because he needed to do math, not go to the store. I'm also responsible for students while they are suppose to be in my class, so if anything happened to him, I could be held liable. Plus, the store merchants are not suppose to sell food to the kids during school hours. About 5 minutes later, he asked if he could go to the vending machine for a juice. I said yes to this because the vending machine is a 15 second walk from my classroom.

So I was pretty pissed to see he went to the store anyway because now I'd have to have "a talk" with him. So I said, "F***in' Hell". I didn't mean to say it out loud but it slipped. The student sitting closest to me heard me. When he pointed it out, I almost replied with, "S***! i just swore! But I caught myself.

So please help me and yell at me when I swear for the next month.

Just switched ...

So I just switched to the beta version of blogger. I hope it doesn't screw up my blog too much.

I haven't had much to blog about lately. I guess I'm getting use to living here and the novelty is wearing off a little. Does that mean I'll experience some culture shock when I return to the big city? I'll have to retrain myself to function. For example, I'll have to look both ways before I cross the street. And I'll actually have a sidewalk to walk on!

Well, this is my last week of Health and Career education with this group of students. I've learned a lot from them. One, it's not so bad teaching them about STIs (the new term fro STDs, it stands for sexually transmitted infections). We laughed together, we were grossed out together. It was great.

Crabs. Eww!

Two, I will be a lot meaner with the second group. I'll let my rules be known right off the bat. I will start being tough when the students start talking over one another. I will make any gleekers or desk writer wash off desktops after school.

In other news, I can't believe it's almost Christmas. This time next week, it will be less than a month. I've already put up my lights. I'll post a picture of them when I get my camera. I'm so excited about returning home and to the big city. I can't wait to see my friends and family ... and a shopping mall! I expect lots of hugs because the last hug I received was in August.

Shot

This week I kept getting poked with needles!



The first one was a test for TB. This is where you get a protein injected in your arm. It cause a slight bubble under your skin. The bubble disappears. The immunizers come back a few days later to check to see if you have a bump. If you do, you may be carrying TB. Fortunately, I'm not.

The entire school got tested for TB. This makes sense because there is a history in Canada of whole native villages getting wiped out by TB. But that was before penicillin ...

My next needle was for a flu shot. I've never gotten one of those before. But I thought, what the heck. It was free and it was happening in the school. I haven't had the flu in years but as a teacher you get exposed to these things all the time. And I don't know about you, but I hate barfing. Hence, why I hate getting the flu. Hence, why I got the flu shot.

The one that hurt the most was the flu shot. My arm still hurts. Ouch!

Let it ...

I woke up at 6 this morning to go for my morning Jog...



... And it was fucking snowing! And not that wuss stuff it would do in my hometown. It was sticking. And there is now like 2 inches of snow on the ground.

I love the snow though. It's so pretty. It's just way to early to snow.

My jog was lovely though :)

Food Yearnings

I love ice cream. Not too much a secret. But the only ice cream I can buy here is Nestle's Chocolate, vanilla or neopolitan. But dammit, I want some gourmet ice cream. I could really go for some Ben and Jerry's.

Ohhhh, yeah!

Mmmm, half baked. I can almost taste it now. I can feel it melting on my tongue as the morsels of cookie dough separate to give my taste buds pleasure. Oh God, I want some soo bad.

And its not like I can just get someone to ship some to me either. It will melt. This will definitely be something I buy when I go back home at Christmas.

Update

Just a few notes.

One, I start teaching my Health and Career Education class about STIs this week. I've been doing some research. I was thinking I'd try some shock tactics by showing them some pictures of genital warts and chlamidia. But the pictures were so gross they almost discouraged me from ever having sex again.

There was a second totem pole raising this weekend. It unbelievable that there were two pole raising in one year. I've truly witnessed history here. This one was a two day celebration. I didn't attend most of the first day, but I did a lot for the second day. I even got picked on, with some other teachers, when the dance hosts were joking about finding a potlatch wife.

I got my Christmas light delivered this week. I ordered enough to decorate the inside of my place, the outside and my classroom. I can't wait!

Art

I got an email from Brilliant this week that said he went to the Emily Carr exhibit at the art gallery this week. He saw lots of native art and commented that I would have liked it.



That comment got me thinking about art. I enjoy art. But not as much as I think some people think I do.

When I was a little kid, I liked art class in school, probably just like every kid. I also displayed most of my projects on my bedroom walls. My bedroom was actually something to see when I was little. I shared a room with my sister. On her side of the room, she had New Kids on the Block posters practically wallpaper the walls and the ceiling. I had my childhood art.

My mom encouraged me to do my art. I even took an art class outside of school. Art was a part of my mom's social life. Quite a few of her friends were local artist and I remember going to lots of art shows as a child. I think my mom thought I would be an artist when I grew up.

I took art in high school. The teacher was really nice but the clas was too structured for me and too into realism. I didn't do so hot in that class.

I still like seeing art but I am not a conniseur, by any means. When the Group of Seven collection came to my hometown, I went to see it. I saw some nice things, but I mainly went to say I went. There was really only one piece I liked, and I don't remember it. I don't have much art in my house. I just have a poster Asshole framed for me and some family photos. I have a little more art in my classroom - I have a neat picture that Asshole did (one of the things I didn't destroy after the recent drama) and one that a student drew for me.

I have done some recent art. It's on various people's Bebo pages. My best piece must be of Andrew (a TA at the school) guarding some puke. It is truly a masterpiece.

I hate teaching ...

I hate teaching health and career education. It sucks. I'm already counting down the weeks. I have exactly 20 weeks and 2 days of teaching that class left (the last 6 weeks of the year I am career and health education free) ... and some of those weeks are 4 day weeks, like next week.


Why do I hate teaching this class? Because I like teaching math. I knew I was a teaching snob because I wouldn't even apply for substituting jobs. But I'm definitely a math specialist. I just pray that I can get out of teaching this class next year.

I think the kids know deep down that I disliking teaching the class. I like the kids, don't get me wrong. And I try to be enthusiastic, but teaching them to be worksafe is only so stimulating.

But grade 8s are nuts! They are truly peanuts ... or perhaps cashews. I'm not too sure. They are always so passively hyper. How is that combination possible? I'm not sure. But it is. You should see it in action.

I actually almost dread the class. I love my math classes so much that this class is just a hump I need to get over everyday (right before lunch). Sometimes it is a huge hump. It's bigger that my step niece's pregnant stomach!

In other news, Dad finally shipped all my stuff up here today. Yes! I should get it next week. I'll finally get my vacuum and microwave back! And my exercise tapes!

My cable got cut today. I'll actually have to go to the Band Office and pay for it. Darn, no more free cable. I know I need the cable too. I'm going nuts that I can't watch TV. I'm super addicted.

I came across some photos ...

I was on a website where a lot of the staff at the school post pictures. I stole two to share with you.



This first photo is from a promise. Some of the staff promised to do some dares if the kids raised money for the Terry Fox run. Three staffers said they'd get taped up to a wall if the kids raise at least $1500. The kids did and here's what happened. It was too funny. I'm in this photo in the green blazer in the background around the middle of the photo.




The second photo is the staff photo from the school. I wish I were smiling more. Oh well.

I like weekend mornings

I like waking up on the weekends. I wake up on my own. Most weekend mornings I lie in bed and think. The last few weekend mornings, I've fantisized about how great it will be when I come home for Christmas. That's a hint for all of you that you better make it great for me :)

I get up and make breakfast next. I like to eat it in my pajamas. On weekdays I shower first so I eat breakfast in my school clothes.

Today I made pancakes. You know what is really good in pancake batter? Caramilk bars. I had some left-over halloween candy.

I usually spend several hours at school catching up on work and getting ready for the next week. But it sure is nice to not have to wake up at 6 and be at school around 8.

I'm short

I've finally come to the realization I'm short. I've suspected it for a while but now I know I am. I didn't really think I was until last year.

I thought I was at least average height before because I'm both taller than my mom and older sister.

I've always known I was shorter than, say, the guys I've dated. The shortest guy I've dated was 5' 11.75". But that just makes me cute. I'd have to stand on a stair to be eye level without standing on my tip toes. It has caused me to get better neck muscles from the strain, but I've coped.

But I've found out I was short last year when all my student teacher friends were taller than me (well, except Sachiko). Ok, maybe I was just hanging out with those weird mutant tall student teacher types. No such luck. It finally hit me that I was short when I was standing around with my grade 8s and the boys were towering over me (this of course happened near the end of the year when most of them had gone through a growth spurt).

Yesterday was also a realization I was short. I was adjusting my thermostat and I realized that I couldn't actually see what I was doing. That was strange. Everytime I've done this, I have been able to see. Did I shrink? No, it turns out I constantly walk on my tip toes. My mom points out I walk on my tip toes, but I didn't realize I do it ALL the time. I do, it turns out. I think this has kept in me in constant denial that I'm not short. But now, I'm out of the closet. I am short people, and I am proud about it ... because it makes me cuter :)



It should really be no surprise to me. All the pants I've bought in the last two years drag on the ground. I've never really paid attention to this until I realized my beautiful,hot, sexy, new Seven jeans were dragging in the mud. And then I was thinking about my other pants and how either the bottoms of them are ripped or I've pinned them up.

My profession has also not helped. I'm constantly around people who are sitting, or else I'm sitting. All through out university I sat in a desk, at a table, on a bar stool etc. And now, my students are sitting while I'm standing up. At this vantage point I'm elevated even over the most vertically gifted students. Or else, I'm sitting at my desk when they approach me.

I was hoping to have a picture of this with me new Webcam, but the thing is not compatible with my computer. Now I have to send it back and I'm still camera-less. Sigh.

Gleeking

I finally sent a kid to the office today. I hate doing that. I want the kids to stay in class because I want them to learn. And they certainly can't learn what I'm trying to teach when they're in the office.

I sent the kid to the office because he keeps gleeking one everyone and everything. In case you forget what gleeking is, it's when someone flicks their tongue so that little droplets of spit land everywhere.



This kid has been doing this for two weeks now and I got fed up. Other kids in the class have now learned to do this to get this kid back for gleeking on them. I tried ignoring it. That didn't work. I tried the that's-really-gross-because-you-are- spiting-on-people. It didn't stop. I tried the that's-how-people-can-get-sick-from- germs strategy. I got sick. Coincidence? Maybe.

Finally, I got sick and tired of the gleeking wars. I reminded the kids that it was gross and I wouldn't tolerate it anymore.

The straw that did it was the umpteenth time a kid yelled, as she was wiping spit off her cheek "Ahh, Ms. Small Town, William gleeked on me."

"Ok, William. I've mentioned time and time again that gleeking is gross and spreads germs. We've discussed in class twice now how you don't like to be gleeked on and that if you don't like it, others probably don't like it either. I warned you several times now that I will not tolerate it. And now you are coming with me to the office."

William promised to stop. Too bad. I have to follow through with my threat. We went to the office and I found the principal there. I politely told her what was going on and if she would talk to William about gleeking.

William came back to class about 15 minutes later. He has did not gleek in that class. I have the honor of teaching two classes to William. He did not gleek in our second class together either.

After all is said, I still can't gleek on command. I've tried.

The end of an era

I just read that Bob Barker will be retiring from the Price is Right in June 2007.

Holy Crap!

Staying home sick will never be the same.

Help control the pet population: have your pet spayed or neutered.