five finds friday (a long winded run down of yesterday and white chicken chili and student success)
I want to humor myself here and lay out the schedule of what Thursday was like. thank you.
Prior to 9 am – Wake up. Shower. Make certain kids are all up. Print out papers needed for teaching school. Oversee lunches packed. Create a crockpot dinner. Maybe eat breakfast and see if kids do the same. Make sure kids do chores like feed pets, take them out to the bathroom, get them resettled for their day while we’re gone. Wonder why we have so many pets.
9:30 to 12 – Teach a literature and writing class to junior high and high school students. Kipling. Wordsworth. Spring poetry. Compare and contrast essay. Pop quiz. Canterbury Tales.
12:30 – Enjoy the luxury of a Tandem break. Yes, there’s hot tea and a delicious crepe. Also – write the weekly TRH newsletter. (We’re at over 1800 inboxes now!) Return emails. Update work social media. (Insert an e.e. cummings quote in the newsletter because why not?)
2:30 – Drop by a client’s shop.
3:00 – Pick up the kids from Meadowlark. Drive home. Have kids change clothes. Drive some kids to cross country conditioning.
3:45 – Head to the closest coffee shop near their practice. Finish editing final draft of the new magazine.
4:45 – Head back to pick up kids. Have a 15 minute conversation about an ad that needs completing.
5:00 – Drive home. Have dinner. Do a few chores at home.
6:15 – Drive to soccer practice. Conduct an interview for a new teacher while at soccer practice.
7:30 – Drive home. Watch Survivor with the kids. (We’re still such fans.) Return emails. Complete two reviews that were on a deadline for today. Send kids to bed. Make a few corrections to the newsletter before scheduling. Write this blog post.
And that’s it guys – thanks for humoring me. So – if this post ends up riddled with typos and nonsensical nonsense, then now you know why.
funny
I don’t know what is going on here.
But I do know these two empty jars have been sitting in a bowl on the counter for an entire week.
And I also know that no one has mentioned it. No one has claimed the jars. And no one has touched them.
I’m thinking maybe on Saturday I’ll deal with it.
fashionable
Bless his heart.
My sweet thirteen year old son got out of the car for his cross country conditioning. He had on tennis shoes – so that’s something. (Which we had to go purchase last week because apparently we don’t wear a lot of tennis shoes at our house or something because he didn’t have any. Well. He had one pair but they had no laces and when he wore that pair to practice last week – they flew off his feet when he ran.) Yes – that’s my kid.
And I noticed, as he headed over to the field, that he was wearing basically regular pants. Not athletic shorts and not athletic pants. And, yes, he was the only one in attendance wearing that sort of attire.
Sweet kid. He did the entire practice that way. Got back in the car. Never complained about it. Never said a word about it.
At home, I hugged his neck.
“You don’t have any athletic shorts – do you Bergen?”
He shook his head. He doesn’t. He’s never been a fan.
But he didn’t complain to me. He hasn’t begged or insisted that I purchase him some new clothes. He hasn’t said that he’s the only one who doesn’t look like he belongs on an athletic field.
That was pretty kind and considerate of him.
And, this weekend, I’m going to make sure he gets the right clothes for the sport.
flavorful
That crock pot dinner we had last night?
It was delicious. And it’s possible I have shared it before. My memory is not reliable.
It’s so good and it’s Whole 30 and dairy free if those are things that matter to you. We just like it because it tastes great.
What a difference it makes to have crock pot ready meals on Thursdays. It really is so easy and so worth the effort. When I came in the door after all those drives, the house smelled incredible and it felt so great to know we wouldn’t be eating whatever we could toss together – or a bowl of cereal.
I always am looking for great, easy, delicious crock pot recipes so share your favorites if you feel so inclined.
faithful
There were a couple of rough moments this week.
And I won’t share all the details because some family bits need to be left to the family. But there were some tears and some heavy and I found myself sitting in the beautifully open and inviting living room of some dear friends – sharing the heavy – and there was no sense of self-consciousness or fear. These were my people and I knew I was safe.
If that isn’t the best sort of gift, I just don’t know what is.
feels
Meadowlark Collective has been an experiment in so many ways. It has been challenging and beautiful, unpredictable and meaningful. We’ve all grown – students and teachers and parents.
This week my small class practiced what has become a normal part of our routine – impromptu speeches. Just short, unprepared talks about a topic I assign right before they speak. Often, it is a topic in part about the novels they are reading independently in British Literature this year.
When we began this aspect of class, most of the students couldn’t finish their allotted time without giggles, sighs, ums and distractions.
I have a couple of students for whom public speaking is akin to public shaming. But today, student after student stood up, answered their question (how is the protagonist of your story heroic?) in clear and simple terms – without hesitation, without obvious embarrassment and with intelligent answers.
It’s been the gentlest prodding, the softest pushing, the slow and steady, we’re-not-in-a-race sort of education happening – but IT IS HAPPENING.
That’s a delight to see.
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