This is how full my plate is...

... so picture my hand about a foot off the so-called plate. It's been a crazy week and I am trying to get through it all without choking on any big chunks.

Last week: Orthodox Easter, awesome mechoui (lamb-on-the-spit bbq-party). Mother Nature tired to prevent us from having this mega bbq but we prevailed and much fun was had.

This week: Talent show rehearsals, my theory exam (for my learner's permit, which will lead to my license, the driving test is on June 1st), errands to the florist for grad and the movie theater to pick up much awaited prizes, and finally the TAG activity for Peaceful Schools International.

Which brings me to this point: if anyone has any complaints about what I do for the school, or what contributions I do to make the school a better place, or what I have my students do in my Leadership class, I want those individuals to express their discontent/frustration/malaise directly to me. There is nothing more that I hate in this world than hearing from a third party about how bossy I am, or how I boring an activity is, or how they don't understand the point of an acitivity, or even how they think it's pointless to do such activities because students don't participate. I can handle criticism when expressed to me, I can learn from my mistakes when pointed out to me and not someone above me, as if a reprimand was necessary by some principal who actually supports what I do.

It makes me wonder why some teachers entered this profession. I teach because I love teaching, I teach because I get a kick out of the kids (most of the time), I teach because I love the captive audience and I think I can impart some knowledge, if not related to the subject that I am teaching then related to something that matters to my students. I love feeding that curiosity they have and answering the need to clear up clouds that clog their brain. If I have to put extra time, extra hours, enduring guitar music in the hallway at lunch, sitting down with the lunch crowd and just chill, spending time supervising rehearsals, I don't care. I like it, I enjoy it. Yes, I am pooped afterwards, but I do it with a smile. At school, I always smile. I'm sometimes so perky, it's nauseating. Really nauseating. But I do it and I never ever say that what I am doing is beyond what my contract stipulates. Screw the contract. And for the record, I hate it when a teacher complains about doing something that is fun, different, entertaining and gosh-darn exciting under the pretext that it's not part of their contract. The contract excuse can be used when you are getting shafted by administration and so far that has not happened to me since I got to this school board.

If I ever become bitter and angry and petty like that, I'm getting the fudge out of teaching. And fast.