3 in 1: Comments on Work, a Note About the Bridge, and a Family Crisis Involving Aunt C
I've already completed seven days of training, orientation, etc., and have three more days of similar stuff to look forward to before the kids actually arrive.
Today I met the other teachers at the school. There aren't as many new teachers as I originally thought. When I was there working a few days ago, there were two first-year teachers adjacent to my classroom. They kept coming and asking me questions. I figured we were in for a long year if I'm the voice of wisdom. I have only taught for one year, and that doesn't imply any level of wisdom or know-how. It just means I'm harder to kill than some. Turns out there are two other more experienced Language teachers across the hall, and I was very relieved to see the two new ladies start directing their many questions towards them instead of me. It's not that I'm not willing to help. I just barely know what to expect myself. Last time I did this, it was minute by minute survival. I'm just trying to make sure I have a slightly more sophisticated plan this time.
I was blown away by all of the things that are in place to keep things running smoothly and make sure everyone's on the same page. It's a welcome change for me. Let's just hope they actually employ these things consistently. If they do, it might actually be a good place to work.
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Of course I have to say something about the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis yesterday. I was watching the new right after it happened, but they didn't have much to report other than the fact that it had collapsed.
Today I heard several different radio stations and tv stations report this same basic story.
Minnesota officials were warned as early as 1990 that the bridge that plummeted into the Mississippi River was "structurally deficient," yet they relied on a strategy of patchwork fixes and stepped-up inspections.
It's one thing when a catastrophe happens due to circumstances that nobody could have known about. But when people don't take warnings seriously and/or do their jobs thoroughly, and people die as a result, I think they need to be punished. Severely.
When I was watching the breaking news on this story yesterday, the phone rang...
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Yesterday, my mother called. She almost never calls unless I haven't spoken to her in a week or more, so when I saw her name on the caller i.d., I thought she needed something. Then when I heard her voice, I knew something was wrong. Sometimes you can just tell. Her voice sounded exactly like the day she told me Big Bird, my long time loyal talking pet parakeet, had passed on to the bird cage in the sky.
She said that Aunt C and my gramma had been in a car wreck. When she said that, I swear I thought she was going to say one of them was dead. Then she said they were okay, but that they were still in the hospital. Then she said that Gramma was "talking and moving around." If the ability to talk is being considered a sign of okay-ness, how bad is it? I mean, that's what they say when someone was seriously injured, so it kinda scared me. It turned out that Aunt C was banged up, but wasn't admitted, and they were still looking Gramma over. She is 87, after all, so they wanted to make double sure nothing was broken. She'll be sore, but okay.
Aunt C was driving and somehow lost control of the car. When it stopped rolling, they were upside down. The rescuers pulled my gramma out through the windshield.
Am I glad nobody was hurt? Of course. If by "nobody" you mean Gramma.
Just kidding.
Sorta.
Today I met the other teachers at the school. There aren't as many new teachers as I originally thought. When I was there working a few days ago, there were two first-year teachers adjacent to my classroom. They kept coming and asking me questions. I figured we were in for a long year if I'm the voice of wisdom. I have only taught for one year, and that doesn't imply any level of wisdom or know-how. It just means I'm harder to kill than some. Turns out there are two other more experienced Language teachers across the hall, and I was very relieved to see the two new ladies start directing their many questions towards them instead of me. It's not that I'm not willing to help. I just barely know what to expect myself. Last time I did this, it was minute by minute survival. I'm just trying to make sure I have a slightly more sophisticated plan this time.
I was blown away by all of the things that are in place to keep things running smoothly and make sure everyone's on the same page. It's a welcome change for me. Let's just hope they actually employ these things consistently. If they do, it might actually be a good place to work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course I have to say something about the bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis yesterday. I was watching the new right after it happened, but they didn't have much to report other than the fact that it had collapsed.
Today I heard several different radio stations and tv stations report this same basic story.
Minnesota officials were warned as early as 1990 that the bridge that plummeted into the Mississippi River was "structurally deficient," yet they relied on a strategy of patchwork fixes and stepped-up inspections.
It's one thing when a catastrophe happens due to circumstances that nobody could have known about. But when people don't take warnings seriously and/or do their jobs thoroughly, and people die as a result, I think they need to be punished. Severely.
When I was watching the breaking news on this story yesterday, the phone rang...
------------------------------------------------------------------
...
Yesterday, my mother called. She almost never calls unless I haven't spoken to her in a week or more, so when I saw her name on the caller i.d., I thought she needed something. Then when I heard her voice, I knew something was wrong. Sometimes you can just tell. Her voice sounded exactly like the day she told me Big Bird, my long time loyal talking pet parakeet, had passed on to the bird cage in the sky.
She said that Aunt C and my gramma had been in a car wreck. When she said that, I swear I thought she was going to say one of them was dead. Then she said they were okay, but that they were still in the hospital. Then she said that Gramma was "talking and moving around." If the ability to talk is being considered a sign of okay-ness, how bad is it? I mean, that's what they say when someone was seriously injured, so it kinda scared me. It turned out that Aunt C was banged up, but wasn't admitted, and they were still looking Gramma over. She is 87, after all, so they wanted to make double sure nothing was broken. She'll be sore, but okay.
Aunt C was driving and somehow lost control of the car. When it stopped rolling, they were upside down. The rescuers pulled my gramma out through the windshield.
Am I glad nobody was hurt? Of course. If by "nobody" you mean Gramma.
Just kidding.
Sorta.
Labels: Aunt C, outrageous news, professional screw-ups, teacher life
Makes you wonder how many OTHER bridges out there are prone to the same type of collapse, while the "gumment" tells us they are "structurally sound."
Glad your grandmother seems to be okay.
Posted by
Anonymous |
10:35 PM