We evacuated - Microblog Monday

"We evacuated."

That was my husband's simple text. I didn't even hear it come in, I just glanced at my phone and my whole body went rigid.

My husband is a High School chemistry teacher. The last time his school was evacuated was due to faulty chemistry equipment. But this wasn't anything wrong in the chemistry department.

It was a suspicious package in the students bathroom.

I tried to not think about it. I tried to make it simple--like the kids who were enjoying the break from normal school stuff. I wasn't too successful.

People seem to be belittling others for wanting safe spaces. I don't understand that. Do you want to go somewhere that you don't feel safe? Kids should be allowed to feel safe at school. I should feel safe sending my child, sending my husband to school. I don't. I worry where I didn't before. Schools should be safe, damnit. Schools should be safe from bullies--in the form of teachers or students. They should be safe that the kids aren't drinking contaminated water.

They should be safe from guns. They should be safe from bombs.

My husband is home now. Exhausted. The kids handled everything amazingly well--especially the kid who saw the suspicious package and went out and reported it. The teachers were calm and collected. They made the best of bad situations. We count on our teachers to keep our children safe and then decide that they don't deserve any respect for it. We act like they are "only in it for the money." Yeah. Right. And to be fair why shouldn't teachers get a good salary. We don't say about a doctor who saves our life that "he's only in it for the money."  Teachers are valuable.

Especially the one I'm married to.

The 2016 election requires new language - Microblog Monday

I have been working as a freelance writer for some time now.

The last few months have been lean. I supplement by tutoring and I have grown to love it.

The other day I had an argument with one of my students. I'd call him my favorite student and it would be true but they're all my favorite. Anyway...

We were doing synonyms. And the word was Travesty.

There were four possible answers. One was mockery (correct) the other was disaster (not correct).  I told him he was wrong and he argued. He said that in several article he's read about Trump becoming president, the word "travesty" was used. He found several articles online and showed them to me. In those articles, one from CNN, another from the LA Times, the tone and meaning of the word travesty seemed to be disaster. He was defending his point and he was angry.

 Can I say how much I enjoy the fact that he is so mad about use of language that he is ARGUING? A 13 year old boy is just that pissed!!

I acknowledged that he had a point. The very next word was the word rescind. He said that means destroy. I said it means subvert. He rolls his eyes, "are we going to go through this again?"

Has the 2016 election scarred us so much that we need to repair the English language? Is it that bad? Well obviously it is. I'm sick to death about the state of things in this country and we're not even halfway through.

But I will say that I've got some hope.
When a trans woman wins over a homophobic bigot who wrote a bathroom bill and then refuses to insult the opponent because he is her constituent?  I've got hope.

When people in Virginia have set records for a non-presidential election for turnout I  have hope.

I do have hope, and fear, and anger.

But really, can we agree that we don't need to mess up the language?

Microblog Monday - If you become a teacher by your pupils you'll be taught

For the past year, one of the ways  I have been earning money is by tutoring.

I love it. I love talking with the kids and listening to them.

My favorite pupils are siblings.  The boy is a seventh grader. The girl is a high school sophomore. They are wonderful. They are first generation Chinese immigrants and after they learned that I am raising a Chinese daughter, we set aside five minutes from each lesson so they can teach me "things that a stupid American wouldn't know to teach her Chinese daughter."  (Their words, not mine, but I'm not offended.)

They also talk about how they feel and I am watching them grow, and change.

The boy. I'll call him, Rob, was monosyllabic when we met. Now he talks to me in multisyllabic words. Part of that is trust. I say with only a little pride that he trusts me. I've watched him going from regular teenage boy to activist. We cut tutoring short a few weeks ago so he could go protest at the airports.

Another boy I tutored will run for President of the United States. This is what he says and I believe him. I would vote for him--he's more mature than the person in the White House now.

Then there is the teaching of a little girl which is part of my job as mother. Since I'm not earning as much we've cut down on her Pre-K classes. She goes 3 days a week and then the other two we have as "girls days." Sometimes we sit cuddled in front of the TV.  Sometimes we go to the playground. Often we go to the library. And then there are days I teach her. I teach her about baking. I teach her about mitzvoth. I teach her about me.

And I learn.

I learn that sometimes she misses her China Mommy even though she doesn't remember her. Sometimes she wants her China Mommy, but she wants me too. I learn that sometimes it's okay just to be sad for a while. I learn that hugs are really great.

I've been debating of turning this love of individualized teaching to teaching in front of a classroom and I'm not sure. Until I am though, I like what is happening now. I like helping the kids through frustrations and I become hopeful that they will make the world they inherit better.