The first day of Spring...Break.

Yesterday was the last day of school for the week - we are moving into Spring Break. I went out with a couple of friends who make me laugh and put my life in perspective (the kind who say, "get over yourself, things aren't THAT serious, are they?") One of them is Harry and the other is Donna. We all worked together at the middle school about 15 years ago, and have been great friends ever since. One is retired, the other is headed in that direction. Both of them are hilarious and neither take themselves too seriously. It's always such a welcome sight to see them sitting there, as I walk into the watering hole at the end of the week.

One thing I love about being with Harry and Donna is that we don't dwell on the negative stuff. No talk about depressing politics (though we all worry about things), no talk about aches and pains and illness (though we all have them!)...in all, it's always a glass-half-full gathering, and I love that! Don't get me wrong, we get serious sometimes... and they are so good at helping me process some of the issues with students I deal with. They are both veterans of working with kids in a school setting, and they have some of the best words of wisdom for me! We have had conversations about Donna's "wasband" and issues of divorce, and have had many conversations about Harry's wife and the stressful treatments she has undergone. We celebrate how great our kids are and how dang cute and perfect their grandkids are... it's always a satisfying time!

Donna works at the Alternative High School - a school which is a "last try" for many kids for whom the traditional high school setting simply doesn't work. There, she works with the kids who struggle most with learning (she always says that she IS special ed at the AHS). I refer to her room as "The Bad Boys Club" as she works with mostly boys (who make up, statistically speaking, a large percentage of special ed/resource students). Her boys love her and she really speaks to them. She pulls, pushes, and prods kids toward graduation, with her awesome sense of humor and her no-nonsense attitude.

Donna told us a funny story of the day she decided to tell her boys that this would be her last year - she would be retiring. She said one of them snapped his head up from what he was doing with a look of panic on his face and said, "Ms. T! You're retiring?! I'M FUCKED!" Donna calmly replied, "Seven years of high school is enough for you, let's just get you finished up." I about busted a gut. She is a hoot!

A couple of months ago, she told a story about conducting a meeting in her room which necessitated "closing" it to students. (At the AHS, students have the freedom to go to the teacher from whom they need help rather than following a rigid bell schedule.) Donna heard a knock at the door, so she got up and went to tell whomever was there that s/he would have to come back later. She greeted two boys at the door, and stepped out in to the hall to let them know when they could come back. She immediately smelled pot on the kids. She hissed at them, "You two smell like weed!" One of them immediately said to her, "Geez, thanks, Ms. T. - you got any cologne we can use?" Kids can be so dim (especially stoned ones evidently). Obviously her point was not to "help them hide it," but rather to call them on it and to tell them to get the heck out of the building if they were high.

There are a hundred stories like this from Donna. She will occasionally send an email with the subject line, "You know you work at the AHS when..." and I know it's going to be a good chuckle. One more and I'll be done... I got an email one day where Donna wrote, "It's Teacher Appreciation Day. I went to my mailbox and found a greeting card. I took it out of the envelope and read the front with its flowery sentiment about how important teachers are and how much she was appreciated. On the inside, scrawled in messy handwriting, it said, "Ms. T. - Thanks for putting up with my shit. -Jake." Doesn't get any more honest than that, now does it?

Good news! I spotted James at the restaurant/bar while I was there! He flashed me a big smile and said hello. It was so nice to see the sparkle of the "old James." Maybe he's really back! What a super kid!