Baseball « chatter from the Library Monkey

What’s that word mean

September 22, 2008 at 11:18 pm | In Baseball, Relationships, Stories, Student Life, The Big Cats | 4 Comments

What’s that word mean

So a funny thing happened to day. A sixth grader came in looking for urban legends that she could possibly do a science experiment. I had her look up www.snopes.com to see what we can find. I gave her a couple suggestions and like so many things on the internet there were things I tried to steer her away from.

A couple periods later she is back to look some more and I see she is on www.snopes.com and let her go, since I figure she can figure out what she wants to do. About three minutes later I hear the computer network guy say: “That is probably a question for the librarian” and I am thinking: “Allllllllright some really library work.”

She is on the Wives’ Tales page and she asks what does “menstrual” mean. I didn’t think much about it, since I figure as a sixth grader she probably has a sense of it, but just has not seen the word before. So I start with: “it’s the think women and young girl start going through at your age.” She is clueless. I look over to one of the new business teachers and say, “ms newteacher, can you explain it?” Her response is no and turns away.

So I leap. I tell her that she knows about how maybes are made, that women produce eggs and when the eggs pass through the vacate a woman and that is menstrual. I think at this point she has figured out what it is… I say, “if I say much more we both will be too embarrassed,” and the girl nods her head.

Afterwards I razzed the network guy for setting me up like that. Did he think I could explain things to a pre-adolescent girl better than him — and a woman was standing right there. And asked the newteacher why she didn’t help me out there. She had no answer. I think it is kind of funny. In general and having to do with that, but also why the woman teacher didn’t help me out. I know she is young — around 21, but she should know that this is an issue that girls have and that she might be confronted by it.

Of course she is kind of a cold fish. I don’t think she quite gets that there are various things that drive kids. Plus she is a woman, she knows what it is like to be a 11-year-old girl. Plus she has to know what age girls can understand those things. Much more thank I would know. I am thinking that they probably don’t know that stuff, but I would think someone might talk to her because tomorrow she might start menstruating.

The frank converstation didn’t bother me, what bothered me is I don’t know what a kid that age knows or what that kids specifically knows.

So I did my first ‘notecard lesson.’ I am not sure if the first graders understood they were learning about note cards when I wrote info on the cards. Or that they even understood ‘guide words’ afterwards, but I had fun using the notecards and felt good I was doing what was suppose to be done.

Now I can say I am following the curriculum, are you doing the same ms teaching character ed??? I am sure that guidance teacher won’t handle the menstruation question very well. In fact, I changed the web page around for her and she didn’t let me know if it is okay.

The Tigers suck and that is only half of it

Gratitude (3)

I am grateful for funny stories
I am grateful for the first grade class
I am grateful for getting through a potentially embarrassing situations.

pushups = 90
crunches = 900
squats = 900
bike = 0 minutes

I got nada, you got ta ta?

September 21, 2008 at 11:30 pm | In Baseball, Dreams, playwriting | No Comments

Not much is going to happen here, since I have play rehearsal in the near future — fifteen minutes or so before I leave.

Had three dreams last night:

One was about raking algae out of a local lake. It was sort of about the how the Chinese had people cleaning the ocean during the Olympics — but happening in a lake in the Adirondack
A second was was creepy, I don’t remember it, but for the fact that I woke up and locked my door.
The third was pretty straight forward and generic. I was in my school and there was the one kid I really don’t like. I don’t think much was said or happen but the underlining dislike I have for him. I really don’t have a main reason to dislike the kid, but the fact that he always has to say something in appropriate and usually negative about a teacher or the school.

Hmm either tomorrow or tonight, but can’t finish this now.

Not sure if I have much to say. The drive was nice — I have been having conversations with Mom on the drives, that is good.

I will let the weekend be done; finish this little bit of wine; post this; and head to bed.

The Tigers get swept by the Indians, it is pretty sad.

Gratitude (3)

I am grateful for good weather and no fog on the drive home
I am grateful for the stars
I am grateful for some one is doing much of the work for the play

pushups = 60
crunches = 600
squats = 0
bike = 0 minutes

the amorous excitement of the antique show

September 21, 2008 at 12:17 am | In Detroit Tigers, Difficult people, Internet, Moral Values, My Sweetie!!, Relationships, co-workers, playwriting | No Comments

the amorous excitement of the antique show

I am in the school town so I can be at a couple play practices, which means I am not around the antique show in my school town.

I was so sexually hepped up over the antique show. I was wondering why, then I remembered that three years ago my sweetie from buff of low was here and we went to the show between amorous delights. It was a fairly happy time for me. New job and a nearly perfect girlfriend.

It’s been a few days — mostly because I wrote the end of the play on Wednesday and Thursday — then had Rehearsal on Friday. It was an interesting week.

Had a meeting with the elementary team. Still not clear what they want, or if it was the principal that wants me to do a certain thing. It might actually revolve around the teacher who hosted the Wednesday night dinner club. I was a bit aggressive though I asked who know of the curriculum for research and all the senior teachers mumbled they were involved, however a few seemed to not know what was on the document. Nor did the actually use the curriculum.

What I thought might happen — happened. Fourth and fifth grade teachers are looking for more from the library — or it seemed like they were, they didn’t exactly say that. The k-3 teachers (mostly new teachers) seemed clueless about what I was presenting. Which is fine, but instead of suggesting I do more to get kids ready for research, they presented it through the principal .

The whole thing was kind of funky. First whey I showed up to the meeting I was asked what I was doing there. Then after a minute the principal turned it over to me, so I was caught off guard. I thought he was going to introduce it or let someone bring up why we were discussing it. All of this is compounded since the one teacher I thought I had a decent relationship with, I can’t ask what was going on. For a couple reasons, one I think she is mad at me (or why aren’t we having the dinner club) and if I suspect she is lying and/or manipulating this, I will be mad at her

The next thing that was funny was the guidance counselor. I started talking and she said: “I don’t want to interrupt, but this has nothing to do to me and I am leaving.” I then pointed out that if this was a k-12 curriculum, she was part of it since she teaches character ed. to the elementary. Unfortunately this is an example of a problem with my school (maybe teachers) and the guidance counselor. She will boldly admit she wants nothing to do with the school unless it affects her directly

If teaching research is all about how to teach students to take notes on notecards, then the guidance teacher should be doing this. I pointed this out, she ignored this fact and left. It kind of reminds me that she really doesn’t want to be responsible for much. I had pointed out to her last year that one of the students is really kind of whacked. She told me that it wasn’t documented and that I was not trained to know such things. I told her that was why I was telling HER, so she could document and look at it. I also talked to the student’s teacher, who said she was documenting it. It doesn’t need to be pointed out, the counselor has done nothing.

I am kind of frustrated with that counselor on many levels. Mostly it has to do with her not presenting what she should be doing, just what she has done.

In a weird little scenario, the reading teacher brings up in this discussion that everyone will be pleased to know she is going to take students to the town library, where they can work on research and the library there will be beefing up the books there to help the students with their research (as if the school librarian doesn’t do that all the time). At that point there was a dull thud where everyone looked at her and she said out loud: “Now why did I say that?” It was my question, unfortunately no one had an answer — expect that she seemed to be trying to build herself a kingdome. (This is the same teacher who had to have a smartboard in her room — that everyone could use — that no one has). And while she is bragging to everyone how she is educating kids by taking them across the street, she has yet to actually do what she is suppose to.

I like the teacher, but there are times where I want to say, you know when you should not be reading the newspaper when are suppose to be helping students with their reading.

The same day I was ready to blow after the meeting. First to back up a bit. The train wreck teacher came up to me and asked me to help her. The help was to director how to turn her career around. She is about one parent complaint away from being fired. I told her a few things she could do to make it look like she was doing her job, and a couple other suggestions. I don’t know why, but I thought that might mean she would be a little more considerate to me and the library.

The next day she logs me off the computer that I upload information to our web page. I was 20 feet away from her and she didn’t ask me to log of, she just turned the computer off. What really pissed me off (I expect miss trainwreck to do stupid stuff), is the computer guy defends that behavior. He makes some comment about me not tying up a computer by keeping it locked up. First — he has a point (if there weren’t extenuating circumstances), but second: why did he decide to bring this up in this setting. It needs to be pointed out that he is the other member of the dinner club. So somehow I screwed up there.

The extenuating circumstances. The reason why I use the computer in the lab to upload information — it is the only computer I can use. It is also the computer the computer guy told me SIX MONTHS AGO he would put in my office so I wouldn’t have to run back and forth to the lab and my office to do web work. It is the same computer guy who has said he would install software on various computers for either me or the library aide, but has not.

It is three weeks into the school year and he hasn’t created the profiles for one whole grade. And I know the guy is busy running around doing things that don’t necessarily fit into his job description, like finding things for the reading teacher. I feel for him, but not so much that when he makes me look bad in front of the trainwreck that I don’t find it annoying.

All my frustration at the end of the week last week has to do with people in my grill when they don’t seem to be doing their job.

The Tigerscontinue another losing streak — and stink

Gratitude (3)

I am grateful for pleasant memories
I am grateful for a good group of actors doing my play
I am grateful for an excellent director directing my play

pushups = 0 / 100
crunches = 0 / 1,000
squats = 0 / 300
walk = 20 minutes /bike = 25 minutes

Just what is going on

September 17, 2008 at 11:59 pm | In Baseball, Big Cats, Blog Babble, Blogging, Blogosphere, Detroit Tigers, Difficult people, Moral Values, playwriting, sarah palin | No Comments

Just what is going on

this is a meandering blah blah — sorry

Who is protecting the world and republicans???!?? I would think once you get to a certain level of exposure — i.e. a Vice President candidate — that someone is holding your hand in the ‘get a clue’ line.

Palin’s e-mail hacked I think that is something that could happen to anyone who is fairly inexperienced at being in the public eye — someone like palin. But where is the political machinery. Why isn’t Karl Rover giving palin one of his secret (albeit corrupt) GW43 e-mail accounts.

The republicans have to know people are going after Palin — part due to the fact that they are being so protective of her (hiding indiscretions keeping her from interviews, coaching her for a week before an interview, etc.). I am sure people would over-analyze her even if she was doing interviews, but since she isn’t interviews stories about her e-mail blunder become bigger.

Let me publicly say I am against abortion. Probably not as strongly as most. I believe women should have a choice, but I would hope we don’t kill anyone human life form in any way, this includes war by the way. Now that I’ve said that, all republicans must forgive me for my future stupid moves. It also means regardless of my lack of foresight, I am a qualified republican candidate for any office in the United States.

It also means I can do lots of stupid things, but I will be considered dynamic. AND I get the republican get out of jail free card.

The Tigers are winning big over Texas, maybe their six game losing streak has come to an end.

Got a nap in. I should be writing the end of the play…but haven’t gotten to that point.

Met with the principal today to discuss an ELA curriculum the school has. I told him that I sort of use it, but not always in the way that the curriculum indicates. Not to mention not in the way that I think the teachers use it. I also added that time is a factor. For example it talks about how the fifth graders should be using note cards and spelling frequently used words correctly. I don’t disagree with that, but I know if I gave a lesson on encyclopedias and and the 5th graders keeping notes on index cards and spelling ‘encyclopedia’ correctly I would need to work with them more than 30 minutes a week.

After a bit of discussion he decided we should meet with the elementary team. I am not sure if this came about because the teachers were saying I wasn’t doing my job or because it is some principal initiative.

I suspect it has to do with my former Wednesday night dinner party teacher. The two people I used to eat dinner with have been strangely cool to me. It’s one of those things that I find interesting in life. The teacher is big on the union and was critical of me teaching typing to the fourth and fifth graders last year. Not so much if I could teach or not, but that I would squeeze it into my schedule. My point was the business teacher wasn’t doing it and I felt it was a skill that the kids needed. For their future, but also when I tried to do things on the computers — teaching online databases and use of the opac, I needed them to have keyboard skills.

That teacher and I have near arguments with, about various topics. From what I have seen of her, I wouldn’t doubt that she would do things like subtlety tell the principal I am not using the curriculum — that ironically probably no one is using.

I think this is kind of typical of schools. They form a committee and develop something and then put it in a cabinet somewhere. It gets used somewhat because the teachers who developed it have it fresh in their mind. The teachers who did not develop it and those who were against it in committee never use it. Soon even those who were for it couldn’t even tell you WHERE it exists.

We have some mediocre teachers, but one is considered a train wreck. She came up to me today and asked me ‘as a tenured teacher’ what she could do to get in line. She asked me a couple questions that I couldn’t answer. For example, how do you tell her that parents in the building (her co-workers) think she is a liar and immoral. Especially when I am always looking for a woman with questionable morals.

Not to mention this is the woman that I went on field trip with and she was doing things that I would tell the kids NOT to do.

speaking of a mother of questionable morals… well sort of. I was talking to a kid that lives by me and trying to tell him that he should take off the training wheel off his bike. Me told me, “Chris doesn’t laugh at me, not the boy chris the girl chris.” It was funny because it was implied that if a girl isn’t laughing at him, then he was okay. (btw, one of those two ‘chris’ has a mother of questionable morals, but not one I am so interested in.)

Gratitude (3)