Sure, sure, I know. Don't take that nagging tone with me. Why have I procrastinated so much from this site? I'd love to tell you . . . at a later time. I call that the Procrastinator's Creed. Any way, "What's been happening with Bob?", you ask. Well, I guess lots. I had to step up to the plate and tell my principal that I will only sign a contract for next year if I maintain my Grade 7 teaching position - a position I started 2 years ago when I defected from a different school. She wanted me to teach Grade 5 "because (I'd) be a good fit for a class of difficult boys." Well, truth be told, I have already taught 4 years of Grade 5, and a move back to that grade wouldn't have made professional or personal gain. Been there, done that, wrote a blog about it. See, the principal was acting on "directives" that included a major cabinet shuffle, which made no logical sense whatsoever. We were at loggerheads for a couple of days, and the atmosphere was very tense. Finally, I was presented a contract for the Grade 7 position. It was important for me to get this, as I felt that I had much to do as a Grade 7 teacher, and that it was my objective to complete my assignment. I really don't like to leave things hanging - unfinished. So upon my receipt of said contract, there was much rejoicing.
next:
I was the recipient of a freaky scare - I thought the sight in my right eye was deteriorating. I came in from a phys.ed. class that we had outside. I took off my sunglasses, and thought there was a smudge on my lens of my regular glasses. I took them off and wiped them clean. I put them on again, only to see it as they were still smudged. I can only compare it to looking through a smoky room, but with one eye seeing clearly (similar to a non-smoky room, and one seeing the smoky haze, but with full colour.) Trying my best not to panic, I walked to the health centre (conveniently located next to the school). They really didn't have the answers that I needed, but kindly called to the ER in Sarnia, telling them that I needed to be seen. So off I went - my dad had to look after Aurora after daycare, my wife was still at work, Autumn was with Chrystal's mom, so that left my mom to drive me (it's convenient that the school I work at is in the community where I grew up, and that my parents work at the administration building next door.) I waited in the Emergency department for 4 hours until being seen by a doctor. By that time, my eyesight improved, but I was suffering wave after wave of headaches. Basically, the doctor told me that it could be the onset of migraine headaches, but wanted me to see an ophthamologist to rule out any minor retinal detachment issues. I'm still waiting to hear from the eye specialist to set up an appointment. What about the headaches? They are still there constantly, but not severe.
You can tell it's June in a school. Attendance plummets like a rock. However, two boys in my class have a legitimate excuse to miss the next few days. It seems their uncle took it upon himself to jump from the Bluewater Bridge on June 13th. While they haven't found him yet, as of today, the family pretty much knows the end result. I know their uncle, as he is just 4 years younger than I. These boys in my class looked just devestated, and you could tell they wanted to find a place to go and cry. They live close to the school, and I sent them on their way to be with family. My thoughts go out to them and their family.
Nobody ever said teaching was easy, and if anybody did, they haven't actually taught for long. Gone are the days of teaching just the 3 R's (sic), as now we're judges, lawyers, police officers, referees, punching bags, seudo-parents, grief counsellors, mindreaders, doctors/nurses, etc., but to see the lightbulb light up above their little heads - that's the payoff.
Bressette, out!
