Reub's journey

31 October 2011

My day vs. John's day

There are some days when I am just so glad to be who I am, a part-time middle school art teacher, and not somebody else, such as a person like  John, who works at a university where he is currently the head of a search committee, in charge of multiple graduate students, and chairperson of the university press. Today he fielded multiple head-achey emails and phone conversations, while I, on the other hand:

Haha! I just noticed the paint isn't even dry on this. I'm a terrible art teacher.
Spontaneously decided that all 8th graders could ditch their current project in favor of dressing up as a forest, which was their awesome choice.



 
 It was Halloween! Now a full-fledged holiday! I can't believe we don't take this day off. We don't get mail on Columbus Day-October-whatever-and yet THIS is a regular day? Ridiculous.



They insisted that I be the lone deciduous tree. Second from the right, lame. They dressed me head to foot. Much later I transformed into an Aztec god. Or a chicken. A shy, responsible student took this picture.
 In 45 minutes flat they created this, circled the school peering into windows, and returned in time to ditch the crepe paper and painted green cardboard. Fabulously, a police car pulled into the driveway JUST as we took this picture, its lights flashing. "I KNEW we would get into trouble " I yelled at my students. But of course the officer rolled down his/her windows and waved at us cheerfully. (Corvallis Police Department, I love you.)


 Then I came home and walked Ed and Reub in the beautiful damp early evening. I know I'm lucky.


15 comments:

  1. You are! What a precious life.

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  2. what fun! I wish you had been my art teacher.

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  3. I agree with Tabor. Thank you for sharing your joyous forest day.

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  4. I think you had a great day! And so did your students.

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  5. you'd have been my favorite teacher, hands down.

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  6. and the best part is you got rid of all the crappy old paper that you'd been given...

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  7. All: It was a super fun day, but jb, you sneaky devil, you. The truth is I was SO HAPPY to find a happy use for the box full of ugly brown crepe paper. Which was donated.

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  8. We create our own luck and you have done a wonderful job at this!

    Maybe one day, i can get my friends to dress up as a forest with me, sounds like great fun!!

    I wish you were my teacher

    Saul

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  9. Saul: If you ever ever do this, take a video. I want to see it: my dying wish (i'm pretty old y'know, it could be). And say something, so I can hear your lovely dialect again. (My students said "Trick or treeeeee..." but you could think of something new.)

    I'm completely serious, and you know it.

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  10. so what hs your husband searching for? Brilliant students to do postgrad work?

    I am never an imaginative person, we didn't have a proper Art teacher.

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  11. It's fun being an art teacher , so full of creativity!

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  12. I love the idea of dress up day!

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  13. What a fantastic Halloween! I want to be in your class.

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  14. Lucky you, not because of what you do )although that's a lovely job) but because you love it so.

    Life is fun when we are happily occupied.

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  15. Ann: They're searching for an unusual person. Somebody with experience leading groups of scientists in giant National Science Foundation projects, but who also has a strong background/interest in the humanities. It's difficult to find people like that.

    Jama, Laoch, Reya: Come join the fray! Come as a tree if you can.

    Friko: I do have fun with my job, and wonder what I'll do when I leave it.

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Talk to me.