April 17: A few of the third grade classes went on a field trip to Muir Woods today. Jai’von packed a stuffed penguin in his backpack in case he saw some wild penguins there.
April 18: Today, Ms. Alexander had a substitute that wrote today’s date as “Wensday” April 18. Also today, Briana worked on her book, which is about a brownie that lives in Candyplace and is lonely because no one wants to be friends with him because he is too brown. He later moves to Chocolateplace where everyone loves him. I’m not sure which event saddens me more.
April 19: An older lady who volunteers at Reading Partners went off for a full five minutes about how kids have been complimenting her on her necklace. Her voice carried from their side of the bungalow from the Mission Graduates’ side that was split in half with an Ikea bookshelf. She says that they really appreciate that she takes care of her appearance and how she presents herself to them. She doesn’t understand why all the teachers she sees at the school always wear leggings and so much black. Maria and I both looked down at our own outfits. We are both wearing black leggings and our black Mission Graduates sweaters. This lady comes in two days a week and reads with one child for one hour and judges us without trying to figure out why so many of us opt for comfortable and dark clothing. She doesn’t have to stand on her feet for six straight hours. She doesn’t deal with cleaning up the cafeteria and bathrooms. She isn’t sweating outside and chasing after children stained with asphalt. She isn’t the one kids run to when they had a bathroom accident or are currently vomiting. We dress like this because it’s the only thing that will survive our average day. Teachers get paid shit and yet are expected to do the work of at least seven different people. We are teachers, babysitters, social workers, therapists, bodyguards, nurses and guidance counselors. And now I guess I’m supposed to be a fashion icon too. Oh, and a sniper.
April 20: After the incredibly long, incredibly awkward SFUSD training about keeping appropriate boundaries between adults and students, Fernando decided that we all deserved Grasshopper Pie ice cream from Mitchell’s. We piled into Jen’s car, loping up and down San Francisco’s hills.
“I love that feeling,” Fernando said. “When you go down a hill and it feels like your soul is being lifted for a moment.”
April 21: The Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown featured very few cherry blossoms. We took a break from the search to get a bowl of ramen. Halfway through our meal, a group of men in matching blue kimonos came in to bless the restaurant and its patrons. They asked us to participate in a clapping ceremony. One of the men instructed us to hold up our hands to about shoulder level. “Don’t worry, this isn’t a hold up.” This was then followed by one man shouting something in Japanese while the other men of his party clapped in rhythms of three and everyone in the restaurant desperately tried to figure out the beat.
April 22: There is a window in the kitchen that catches the sunlight for most of the day. I often go in there to make a cup of tea and find Addie and George on the tile floor, curled up in the square puddle of sunbeams.
April 23: The case about the monkey selfie finally got settled today. They determined that the monkey could not hold copyright for the photo. Man, I would have loved to have been on that jury.
much love,
hedgie
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