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08 November 2006

I got called to the principal's office today. [More:]

So, I'm in the middle of teaching the first of my double period eleventh grade English Language Arts classes this morning when a school aide comes in and presents me with a sealed white envelope with my name written on it. I thanked her and gave the envelope a quick "ut-oh-what's-this" look before tucking it away in my binder for later. My students saw the look and laughed. "Sometimes these are good," I said, "and sometimes not so good." I then shrugged, and we went back to our discussion of Zora Neale Hurston's, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Now, I did once receive the complimentary version of such an envelope, endorsing the apparent "professionalism" of my class, whatever that means (if he only knew). But this one was the other kind. The not so good. You see, there was confusion over our twice monthly faculty conferences, which usually meet the first and third Mondays of the month, but with our school, you just never know. They've been known to cancel them, change them, what have you. And they've always given us a flyer in our mailboxes about it and/or posted notices. Except this time, they didn't, and many of the teachers who are supposed to go into work early for the extra meeting (our school has two shifts) plum forgot it was the first freakin' Monday in November, yours truly included.

So, there I am in the library, eating my lunch (aforementioned bologna sandwich, mine with Miracle Whip), hiding from the crazies in what passes for a teachers' breakroom (one mouse-infested corner classroom with two tables for a hundred or so teachers) when one of the librarians comes over and tells me I'm supposed to be meeting with Nan (that's the other librarian/our union rep/a friend of mine) and the principal this period. You see, I'd also promptly forgotten about the tucked away white envelope with said summons. Good grief. I hadn't missed a meeting in years. They're completely pointless anyway, but they're "contractual". Needless-to-say, I was duly contrite and all's well (feined docility can carry you far in life, I've found). No letter in the file or nothin'. (I had even given up my prep period and gone to the afternoon meeting instead, but, alas, that wasn't enough.) And, on top of all this, the internet was down all day at my school, and I missed my bunnies. (Bunnies are the only reason I go into that miserable toxic excuse for a breakroom at all; there are a few ancient computers in there, sticky keyboards and leaky nearby microwaves not withstanding.)

The short of it is, I was a very bad girl. I must be paddled.
*paddles pips with feathers and other soft objects*

but not for missing the meeting, I must paddle you for eating miracle whip.
posted by getoffmylawn 08 November | 19:06
jon? I believe that's your job....

sorry about the call to the office. those sorts of dress downs make me want to punch people in the nose.
posted by small_ruminant 08 November | 19:06
True, goml, there are other possibilities for Miracle Whip. ; )
posted by Pips 08 November | 19:10
Hey, you eat your lunch in the library? Bad Bunny! *paddles pips with 5 splotchy books*

(or is that allowed, now that all the texts are digital, and hence hard to ruin with a misplaced dollop of mayonnaise?)
posted by muddgirl 08 November | 19:13
Pips, you and that hubby of yours can do any kinky thing you like with your miracle whip, just keep it off my sammich...

When I moved to California, I was devastated to find no Hellman's on the grocery store shelves. I was perusing the aisle and I found a mayo with a blue ribbon on the lid and was all like WTF? So, I read the label and I now know that Hellman's is known as Best Foods west of the Rockies.

Ok, enough about me. So, how was the meeting? what do you mean "there was no letter in the file"?
posted by getoffmylawn 08 November | 19:18
Goml, good to know about the Hellman's/Best Foods doppleganger...

Luckily, the principal (a rather rotund, bald, pink-cheeked man, sincere, but inept) was satisfied with just the dressing-down; a disciplinary letter in my permanent job file, detailing the offense-in-question, would be the next, more serious step, since it would follow me wherever I went. (They can be appealed/"grieved", though, but it's a major hassle.) I've now written "Faculty Conference" on every first and third danged Monday on our kitchen calendar. I'll be there, meeting or no meeting. I'm hoping to interview at some other schools in the city this spring, sniff around for a better position now that my certification's complete and I'm tenured. I'd love to teach at the LaGuardia School for the Arts, for instance. Teach music and creative writing, in addition to general literature/composition. Gotta keep the nose (and tuchus) clean.

Fame... I wanna live forever... (Ahhhh.... earworm!)
posted by Pips 08 November | 19:42
I adore that book.
posted by terrapin 08 November | 19:48
Oh, me too, terrapin... one of my all-time favorite books. I have it on audio with Ruby Dee, who does an amazing job with the character voices/dialect. The students are enjoying it. We read along with the audio and stop to write and discuss.

You know, you wouldn't think it for the Bronx, but there's a bountiful dogwood that blooms outside my school (a mammoth 3,000 student stone monstrosity) every spring reminiscent of Janie's pear tree. I had a student, a tough Latin King's kid whose father's doing twenty-five to life for a drug-related murder, point out the connection one year.
posted by Pips 08 November | 20:08
(makes me think twice about leaving my school)
posted by Pips 08 November | 20:08
It could have been worse, the envelope could have been filled with an unidentified white powder.
posted by fenriq 08 November | 20:14
*calls pharmacy for Cipro refill*
posted by Pips 08 November | 20:46
You guys should write a book. You guys being Pips and jonmc. And I never read the book you mention, much less heard of it. But I'll put it on my really long list.
posted by chewatadistance 08 November | 20:48
Ugh, Miracle Whip, too sweet!
posted by mischief 08 November | 21:52
Like the Sonny & Cher story, Chewy? (Except with a happier ending...)

(You'll love the Hurston, truly... such a beautiful book. And to think she died penniless and nearly forgotten. There's a great article by Alice Walker from Ms. Magazine, circa 1975, called "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston", about how she went and found Hurston's grave and paid for a headstone; the article helped renew interest in Hurston. I tried to find the article itself online, but didn't have any luck, alas.)
posted by Pips 08 November | 21:58
*plugs mischief's nose, advances heaping spoonful of the miracle that is Miracle Whip towards mischief's tightly sealed mouth, makes airplane noises*
posted by Pips 08 November | 22:02
ew ew ew
posted by mischief 08 November | 22:09
Duke's mayonnaise is THE BEST.

There was a sale, I had a coupon, so I got two jars today for 1.50 TOTAL. WHEEEE!

I should send you two kids a jar. It makes bologna sing!
posted by bunnyfire 08 November | 22:22
Eww, mayonnaise is Nasty. Any mayo is too much for me. Makes my skin crawl just thinking about the nasty stuff.
posted by fenriq 08 November | 22:34
Thanks, bunnyfire... that's some champeen shoppin'. My father was the coupon king. Sometimes the store owed him money at checkout. I think he put me through college on corn flakes.
posted by Pips 08 November | 22:50
*makes butterscotch pudding for mischief and fenriq*

Better? : )
posted by Pips 08 November | 22:55
I'll bring the oatmeal cookies to go with it.
posted by mischief 08 November | 22:57
Miracle Whip is too too gross.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 08 November | 23:45
Can't stop the meme! || if I ever get myself a new vehicle...

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