When the Saints Go Marching In...

Today I am so thankful. To my family and friends, for their calls and visits and emails and prayers; to the librarian who reminded me I am scheduled to take my class to her tomorrow (meaning I don't have to do a lesson of my own); to my vice-principal who listens to me cry in his office, tells me I'm doing fine- even great (likely story)-and set up a professional development (=day out of school watching another English teacher teach)... and also, today, I am grateful to the New Orleans Saints and their kind of gimmicky deal with Cox Cable.
The football team sent a few stars (just names to me, of course), and the well-behaved students of the first 9 weeks got to run drills and play around outside while the lesser-than-well-behaved kids stayed inside for 3+ hours, imprisoned in our classrooms. Despite the rising tension and boredom among the unchosen students- I appreciated a day of having time to do my grades, and only having to teach three 25-minute classes. (Much of that time, as usual, was spent trying to get their attention. The rest of it: I confiscated pom-poms.)

And while two almost-sixteen-year-old-eighth-graders yelled at me for not allowing them to use the bathroom during our half-hour visit, I just smiled and thought about the concert I'm going to tonight.

Home for Thanksgiving in ten days.