Think the thoughts, feel the feels...write it down

Last week, on this day, I posted a status saying that I was super hungry, but broke and that it sucked that I don't get paid until the 16th of April.  I posted this status as just that, a status, I wasn't fishing for anything; but soon after a good friend (well actually her husband) asked me my address, I gave it to her.  Then, two days later a coworker, whom I really admire, gave me $20.  When she gave it to me, I was shocked and asked why, she said it was just a little donation and knows how hard it can be to live life when the paycheck doesn't come when one needs it to.  I bought $20 worth of groceries on Friday and was a happy camper.  Well the friends (husband and wife) who asked for my address sent me a check for $50, another surprise blessing so I was able to buy shampoo, face wash, and other stuff of the sorts.  Another huge blessing.  Then there's today:  I was looking over music in during my planning when the same teacher that gave me th...

You know?  There are some students that I just don't like.  I'm not the kind of person that blows smoke up people's butt so that they'll do what I've asked, especially not students.  There are two students that require this for them to cooperate and not get an attitude with me for me telling them 'no' or anything else they don't want to hear.  I understand that teaching involves handling children with contingency and consistency, but I also have a whole class that needs attention, not just that student that needs their ego stroked.  I'll inflate their ego when they do something worthy of it. Take, for instance, a 7th grade percussionist who plays TOO LOUD!!!  The whole band knows it and asks her to stop playing so loud, it's hurting everyone's ears.  She's always played too loud and no matter how many times anyone has asked her to play more quietly, she doesn't.  When I tell her she's playing too loud and ask her to play more qu...

Hello!  So a week ago I updated about this whole changing my outer appearance thing was going; here's how it's going this week:  I wore at least foundation, mascara, and blush all this week.  I'm pretty surprised how little time that has taken in the mornings, which is super because I have the capacity for very little that early in the morning.  As for how I'm dressing, little has changed because I wear teacher clothes all day five days a week; the outfit I'm most proud of this week has been: a plain white crew neck shirt (with a black tank underneath so they can't see my bra), my favorite black skirt that has a cute big black belt, and my blue silk shoes with white dots, a peep toe, and really cushy sole, and I did a little twisty thing in the front of my hair.  This outfit was uber comfortable, but it was not very smart because it was super windy outside so I had to hold onto my skirt while outside for colorguard class.  I still feel pretty good about thi...

It has recently occurred to me that I'm kinda cranky when I'm finished with a day at work.  I've been engaging all day with kids and adults, most of the time they need or want something from me.  I wake up at 6am and am in bed by 11pm.  I have kids yelling at me and playing  instruments that are really loud all day, five days a week.  And those florescent lights make my brain tired.  I love what I do, but it's exhausting.  After a day at work I'm mentally exhausted (all day I'm thinking 'what can I do to make them better musicians?'), I'm physically spent (on my feet walking around all day), and I'm hungry.  When I get in the car to go home, I'm in a daze for more than half the ride home because my brain is still buzzing.  Monday when I had just gotten home, a coworker called me to ask if I need any help with anything and if I wanted to carpool and I sounded so mean.  I talked to her about it the next day and she said I sounded...

There's a new girl in two of my classes, she wasn't here last semester so I really know very little of her.  She lives in a group home; when I first heard this I prejudged her.  I figured that she would be self-conscious about this and would want to keep it on the DL (Down Low) so I prepared for that.  At the end of each of her classes she has to get this sheet signed by her teachers.  The sheet asks if she: participated in class, was tardy, and something else; I have to circle yes or no and then sign.  She's really good about reminding me to sign it. Like I said, I had prejudged that she would be secretive, or ashamed, of the fact that she lives in a group home, but she's uber chill about it.  I don't know her story, so I don't know how long she's been in this establishment, but however long she has she's very open about it.  When I'm signing the sheet, other kids usually gather round to see what's going and when they ask her she just tells th...

Yesterday my two best 8th grade trumpets were messing around and one caused the other to drop his (school owned) trumpet right on the mouthpiece.  Now for those of you who don't know, the first thing we teach brass players is NOT to 'pop' their mouthpiece when it's on the instrument, just put it in with a little twist.  It's makes a pitched fart-like sound that people of all ages find to be entertaining; but when that's done, the mouthpiece (which is metal) gets jammed in the lead pipe of the instrument (which is also metal) and it takes some work getting it out.  There's a contraption that looks like a miniature torture device, that is used to unjam the mouthpiece from the leadpipe.  I call it the "mouthpiece unsticker", but upon looking it up a minute ago, it's apparently called a brass mouthpiece puller.  Here's a picture: Because it's metal on metal, it can take some coaxing to get the mouthpiece out, but this tool is invaluable t...

Yesterday was my first day back in front of the bands since the end of last semester.  I was not mentally prepared for the magnitude of the sound.  SO LOUD!  It stunned me, so last night I bought ear plugs to wear during the day.  Now I've always known that band was loud, but I felt quite immune to it because I have been in band since I was in 5th grade.  The volume was (is) just an everyday part of life.  But just like jackhammer operators use those special ear-protectors while operating the equipment, I should do the same.  I put the ear plugs in today during all music classes (so not my colorguard class) and once my students stop freaking out about it, things went back to normal.  It felt really strange, partially because my mom always told me not to stick anything in my ears, nose, eyes, etc when I was young, but I forced myself to wear them.  They asked why I was wearing earplugs and I simply said "I want to be able to hear when I get ol...