Ugh is the sound I make when kicked in the stomach.
Tonight I went to a “how to help your child with their studies” class and then it happened to be open house at my oldest son’s school so I wandered thru and talked to some of his teachers. This is good because I want to poke him. I want him to know I’m watching and keeping in touch with his school. I was in fact delighted because they all seemed very enthusiastic about his average performance. He isn’t really an uptight learner, he’s sort of mellow. He’s sort of social, thinking about where he fits in with the world.
Then I talked to his reading & English teacher, we talked a little about various things and he mentioned he co-teaches in reading with a special ed teacher. I mentioned that I’m taking SPED 208 and was interested to know how the co-teaching is working out. Then I felt compelled to explain why I’m taking that class, no I’m not majoring in special ed. though I should. I’m getting certification to teach art. And then it all starts feeling like a flashback, only in reverse.
Remember that day I was assistant manager of my store, and found out what my raise was going to be, and the very same minute looked on the company intranet and saw basically that they were bankrupt and beginning closings? Well today I did the reverse, sort of. Paid my bill. Wrote a check for what to me feels like a heck of a lot of my very own money to my school. Later was told by this middle school teacher I was talking to that basically there aren’t a lot of art teacher jobs in the district, not a lot of openings. Fabulous.
As I sort of crawled away from him, my spirit hovered above my body, looking down upon myself from the acoustical tile and fluorescent fixtures…wandered around blindly soul-less for a few seconds till a kindly math teacher showed me the way to the door. Sorry ma’am. No zombies allowed.