This makes me sad…

UPDATE 2: Well, I showed Mr. SLS the blogger’s posts and he said, “Hell no, I’d be out.”

So I’ll just sit my happy ain’t neva taught no chirren overly idealistic SAVE THE KIDS azz down. Good night all.

---

UPDATE 1: I saw the earlier post I wrote about below before I saw this one and now better understand why she had to go. This just makes the whole situation worse to me, frankly. Sigh.

---

This teacher/blogger threw in the towel and left her D.C. public school last week.

As I’ve written before, Mr. SingLikeSassy is a D.C. public schools teacher. He teaches a subject — music — that most kids like and look forward to, but still he has to deal with behavior problems. Sometimes he comes home wiped out from the experience. So I can empathize with D.C. Teacher Chic. But I wish she could have found some way to stay in her classroom.

Recently Mr. SingLikeSassy was showing me his high school yearbook and in the future endeavors listed it said he wanted to play with a national symphony orchestra and be a teacher. Teachers — and music — saved my husband’s life. It’s his story, so I won’t tell it, but maybe one day I’ll have him guest blog about it. But just know that three of his teachers came to our approx. 50 guest wedding last year. That’s how important they were to him and how much he meant to them.

For all the kids teachers think they aren’t reaching, there’s the one or two that you are making an impact on. Dealing with the BS is worth it for those kids. It is. Even on the dog days when my husband comes home just over it — like the time he was alone on cafeteria duty and all the students decided a food fight would be fun — he never considers quitting. I actually admire that about him. He knows there may be a young Mr. SingLikeSassy in his class so he tries harder. He talks to other more seasoned teachers to get tips and best practices and he gets advice from my mother — a 30+ year veteran of public schools who went BACK to the classroom after retiring because she felt her work wasn’t done.

I’m sorry D.C. Teacher Chic wasn’t able to power on through at her school and I wish her the best in whatever she does next.

But it still makes me sad.

Facebook: SingLikeSassy Vaughan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SingLikeSassy

Hopscotch with the neighborhood kids

The kids on my block love me. I think cause I pretty much meet them eye-to-eye since I’m so short. LOL!

The other day when I pulled up to the curb, they asked me where my car was and if someone had smashed it. They were playing a game they made up that was similar to hopscotch. They asked me to play, too, since I was sad about my car. So I went in the house, put my purse down and hopped around outside with them. Then I pushed the littlest ones (I think they are both 2-year-olds) along on their little car that had run out of gas or battery juice or something (or maybe they just didn’t want to pedal anymore) while they squealed and laughed.

What’s interesting about this to me is the neighbors these kids belong to (they are all attached to one house) don’t know my name. They have never asked me my name or who I am or anything and they have seen me playing with their kids. They’ve watched the kids run up to me and hug me when I come out on the porch. They’ve seen them petting the cats and asking if they can play with them (my cats are very friendly and good with little kids). The other day when I got home, one of the little ones came up to me and said he had to use the bathroom, and I helped him get back to his door. The mom (I guess she’s the mom) never said thank you or anything, she just let him in. Even earlier this year when I went down to ask if the kids could have some Girl Scout cookies, the mom(?) said sure, but other than that didn’t acknowledge me for the most part.

The kids are sweet and mannerable, but after watching The Wire, I wonder what they will become in the future. So I think I’ll add them to my prayers.

Facebook: SingLikeSassy Vaughan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SingLikeSassy