Patience

Patience is a hard thing for me. I want what I want when I want it. That's the truth sad as it might be.

Being a seventh grade teacher in May requires a lot of patience I don't have. And yet I am the adult, "the one in control of the room" (as I told one group of students today), and I have to dig deep and find that patience.

Today I got pulled into Angela's room because team Europe was having some student difficulties and I was on my prep. This is not unusual, we try to help each other out - if the teachers didn't stick together this place might literally fall apart. And I was in the room trying to get some students to do their job and one student in particular was having a rough time. Angela asked me to help him because she couldn't deal with him right then, they had decided they were both angry at each other. So I went over and asked what his question was. We talked for a minute or two and I felt like pulling my eyeballs out of the sockets, it might have been less excruciating then trying to get through to this kid. And then I saw the look on his face. Despite the fact that he's a HUGE behavior problem every SINGLE day, and despite the fact that he has been known to nearly sexually harass students and teachers, and despite the fact that I wanted to be in my silent room alone at the moment, I saw that he needed help. He truly wasn't getting this question on this test. So I slid down the wall, sat on a pile of books and tried again. And this time he got it.

Let me tell you, if there's only one reason why God sent me to Crane Middle School it must have been to teach me patience.

Other than that life is okay. I'm starting to wake up thinking of the fact that I don't have a job yet for August (luckily I get "paid" through July), that we don't have an apartment yet, and I really don't want to go to school. And yet, there are some happy things in my days.

Last night we played our last golf match and my team did awesome! I had a kid come in with a 34 (on a par 3 course! AWESOME!) and we had all our kids do great. We won't know for a day or two if we've won the championship since one of the teams was phoning in their scores from their home course (whatever) but we feel like victors and that's what counts.

Ang and I had a great Saturday, we ate at the garden cafe which I love and went shopping. I put a little of that stimulus check back into the economy, just doing my part for America nation! (I love how Stephen Colbert calls his audience "nation"! Love love love it!) The garden cafe is this rockin' restaurant downtown Yuma that I sadly only just discovered in April. If you're ever here in the "winter" - go visit. I wanted to write about food on Saturday but never got around to it. The food there was so great, all fresh fruits and veggies and breads and this AMAZING coconut cake. And I didn't feel guilty eating it which was new for me. I'm not losing weight as fast as I'd like but I am loving the new dress I got on Saturday regardless. (Ang says it's very Sex and the City though I am NOT wearing stilettos with it!)

Guess that's all for now, I'm going to keep working on my patience. Any suggestions?