Mares Eat Oats and Goats Eat Oats….

…and little lambs eat ivy.

No.  I DON’T know where that came from.  No.  I DON’T know why I felt inclined to type it here.  No.  I am NOT interested in psychotherapy.  Thank you all just the same.

To respond to a few notes from my picture entry”

YES!  Cassidy is an angel dog.  Just about 40 pounds of goofy love.  And cute as a button.  And his lineage/breed?  No clue.  They told me lab/shepherd.  I don’t believe the lab part.  Black tongue like a chow though….

YES!  My boys are cute.  That “smirk” is them trying to stay manly and not cry as they grate and chop onions.  Macho is macho at any age.

Yes, Harley.  I DO have a picture of my tattoo.  Due to the location of the tattoo, however, it is not suitable for publication on this site!  Hang on – I just meant I am having resolution issues, just like ArtImp said!  She’s gonna give me some pointers there and then we’ll see about posting it.

On the subject of tattoos in general.  Yep.  Chickie’s are really large.  They are both on her legs.  Betty Boop on her thigh and the rose (which is much prettier & move vivid than my photo gave credit for) on her calf.  Nope – neither one of them would be my choice.  But then body art is pretty personal.  My son has 2 tattoos – his initials on his upper arm and a Celtic lion of sortx on his shoulder blade.  I understand that he is designing a sleeve tattoo for himself as well.  Again.  Not my cup of tea.  But I do love my kids – and the body art comes with it.  MY tattoo is rarely visible to the world at large.  Once or twice I have worn a lower cut shirt at school at my students about freaked when they got a glimpse of just the edges.  Heh.  Helps to keep em on their toes sometimes I guess.

Speaking of students….Key Largo’s question about the worst parent confrontation I ever had brought up an interesting image.  I teach an “elective” course.  As such, most parents really aren’t all that interested in talking to me about their kid’s grades.  Nobody can believe that little Mary or Johnny (wait – in my classes that would be little Ysleidy or Jose) could actually FAIL Home Ec.  Truth be told – it’s very hard to do.  I give them EVERY chance I can.  To fail you pretty much have to either not show up for class at all (and I have 2 of those this semester) or show up and sit like an inanimate bump on a log (I also have a smattering of those little angels).  The work is not, for the most part difficult.  Not only that, but you get a passing grade JUST FOR TRYING to do it.

That rant being aired – parental confrontations are few and far between.  I mostly talk to parents when their little angel is a behavior problem.  Even then I am selective any more. 

Ms. Wolf:  Hello, Mrs. Momma.  I need to talk to you about your son, little Juan.  His behavior in the classroom is disruptive to the other students.  He not only refuses to do any work, but he then sets about systematically destroying all reason and discipline necessary in the classroom.  As I’m sure you’re aware, we work with some dangerous equipment – hot stoves and sharp knives.  I need to know that ALL my students will listen and follow directions.  Juan and I have had a talk, but he doesn’t to seem to feel its all that important.  Perhaps you could speak with him.

Mrs. Momma:  Why Ms. Wolf!  I was hoping YOU teachers could do something with him.  He just won’t listen to me.  I’ve tried to discipline him, but it just doesn’t work.  Perhaps if you just ‘write him up’ you can refer him to a specialist or something.

Oh yeah.  That was a fun one.  And then there was the child who came into my class consistantly late 4 out of 5 mornings.

Ms. Wolf:  Hello Mrs. Mama-cita.  I’d like to talk to you about your daughter, Yessinia.  She cannot seem to make it to my class on time in the morning.  Apparently, after discussing the situation with her, this class has a low priority.  If she is not here first thing each class she cannot do the Bell Work which is graded every day for participation.  Already she is looking at an automatic C+ at the rate she’s going – IF she does every bit of her other work.  By the way, she is not very enthusiastic about doing anything at all once she finally does walk through the door.  What?  Is she nearby?  Yes she is.  She’s right here.  Would you like to speak with her?

What followed next was a lot of student trying to make momma believe that Ms. Wolf is a crazy woman.

Ms. Wolf:  Thank you Mrs. Mama-cita.  What?  Yessinia says I’m lying?  Why would I do that?  What do I have to gain from lying to you?  Yes.  That is her you hear yelling in the background.  And I have to tell you I don’t appreciate her disrespectful attitude right now.  She is rolling her eyes, tapping her foot, yelling and projecting attitude all over.

Mrs. Mama-cita:  That’s YOUR problem. I can’t control that.  I won’t even try.  That’s just who she is.  If you had kids, you’d know how to deal with a teen-age girl.

Ms. Wolf:  Gulp.  GulpGulp.  Gasp.  Thank you very much.  Good-bye Mrs. Mama-cita.

But my all-time favorite HAS to be the student who was both a discipline and academic problem the entire semester.  She had steadfastly refused to do any work.  She had thrown things across the classroom at a girl she didn’t like while yelling *F* YOU!  She had……well, you get the idea.  I had had several conferences with the momma.  The Asst. Principal was involved as well as the Guidance Counsellor.  This little girl was a BIG problem – and not just for me.  She was suspended on a fairly regular basis for disrespect, disruption and fighting.  A real angel.

The LAST day of the semester, she had neglected to turn in 45 assignments to me.  She was going to get an ‘F’. 

Momma knew this.  We had been in touch for weeks about the situation.  You see, as a teach it is MY problem if a parent doesn’t know their little baby is failing.  It is not the PARENT’s responsibility to keep tabs on their child.  Go figure.  ANYWAY… at noon on the day before Winter Break (the holiday formerly known known as Christmas Break) started…Momma called the Guidance Counsellor and INSISTED that her little angel finish and hand in her assignments to me.  She was so insistant, that she told the counsellor that Angel-baby wasn’t allowed to get on the bus and come home if she hadn’t done her work.  SO THERE!

The Counsellor informed Momma that when the bell rang at 4:05, we were ALL going home.  It was time for a well deserved holiday and NOBODY was going to stay at school waiting for Angel-baby to do (in a couple of hours) what she’d had 9 weeks to do.  Mom actually was angry with the Counsellor.

So there you go, Key Largo, take your pick.  Thank heavens those are the worst of the parental confrontations so far.

Yep.  I still have a cold.  Low grade fever.  Feel like pooooooo!  But with all the well wishes and the occasional bowl of chicken soup I should be recovered soon.  Besides – I gotta get back to my classroom before the little darlings destroy it because they miss me so much.  *cough cough*  Now where did that cough come from?