I'm pretty sure I had a panic attack tonight. I was sitting with Michele and Larry (35-year-old childless married teacher friends in LP) and I felt awful. I left and came back to my apartment where I proceeded to hyperventilate and cry a lot. I called my mom and told her what was going on after I had calmed down a little bit. She said that she ( Read more... )

This year I wanted to move out on my own and learn to take care of myself. I wanted to be completely financially independent: pay my own bills, not borrow any more money from my parents, not take out any more loans. I wanted to maintain my weight and continue to exercise and be healthy. I wanted to keep in contact with my friends from college ( Read more... )

With only 9 more school days until finals, I'm really, really happy. Granted, my kids have been jerks and someone at LP forgot to pay us this Friday so we won't get our paychecks until Monday, but I really feel like I've done an awesome job this year. I made a list of all of the things I've done this year for resume purposes, and it filled two ( Read more... )

One of the perks of being a teacher: spring break ( Read more... )

Middlesex might be one of the best books I've ever read. It is this awesome American epic about a Greek-American family and their deep secrets. The narrator is neither male nor female (or, actually, both male and female) and is very aware of the fact, often stopping to discuss the differences between male and female (narration and otherwise). ( Read more... )

Sitting here, in the dim hours just before the sun sets, watching the snow fall, drinking hot chocolate, and listening to the Kings of Convenience somehow fills me with a sense that everything is going to be OK.

(Even if I am grading papers.)

I feel like if I can make it through this year, I can do anything. Literally anything. I used to think kids were kids no matter where you go, but I think kids from a small town are WAY different. No offense to those of you who grew up in a small town, but I really think these kids get a bunch of shitty teachers and, therefore, don't trust any ( Read more... )

Officially, the Drama Club at LP is doing Our Town. I first read the play my freshman year of high school in Mr. Hires' class and fell in love with it. It was very clearly his favorite play, too. Then, my sophomore year, he died of a stroke and they read lines from it at his memorial service. It was beautiful. Since then, I've read it again a ( Read more... )

I started posting this entry with a bunch of philosophical stuff about teaching and breaks and being home and coming back and all that, but then I just deleted it and decided it wasn't important. This is the thing about LiveJournal. I used to be able to use it to sort out all of my thoughts, but now I don't see the merit in doing that anymore. ( Read more... )

Happy Christmas Eve, and happy other holidays to those of you who don't celebrate Christmas ( Read more... )