Do Not Feed The Animal !

I`ve been gaining a few pounds since the beginning of the year and it`s all your fault !

You know who you are .

And when I least expect it, you creep up on me and display your trap under my nose.

You know my weak points: anything sweet.

Besides being tight around the waist, some of you have seen, live, the results of my sugar rushes.

Here`s how it goes down.

Before I begin, I gotta say, some of you are sneaky.

I walk down the corridor and there you are : the predator.

You spot me : the prey.

I see the bag, the Tupperware and even though I haven`t seen the merchandise yet, I `m almost drooling.

It`s not pretty.

You walk slowly towards me, you`re going in for the kill.

" Hi Annie, want some ? "

You open the recipient and display the goods.

"Oh my that looks delicious !"

As quickly as you hand me the sample, I`ve had a taste of it.

I smile, already enjoying the instant sugar rush .

And so do you : mission accomplished !

Some od you are more direct and bold.

You stand in my doorway while I`m teaching and offer the goods right then and there.

It`s not the interruption I mind, I never dislike a moment I get to see you, it`s your motive.

You KNOW I can`t run.

If only what you gave me was terrible, awful or salty.

You know I`m a sucker for sweets.

But it`s not the being trapped by your sweets that get me.

No, It`s the effects of it, but by then , you`re loooooong goooooone !

"Sugar rush : the temporary effects of sugar on the brain and body.

Example : bouncing off the walls. "

Annie Webster Fröhlich - science test subject #25 489

So, let me inform you of the results of the sugar rushes.

I usually have a list of things to do once you`ve vanished.

Usually it`s teaching a class or go to my office ( correct, plan my classes, organize stuff etc.)

If I`m in class, my students can tell right away.

Is it my eyes going in all directions, my hands shaking, my mouth twitching, my body which can not stay still one second ?

Probably.

And the brave ones ask me " You had chocolate didn`t you ?"

" Could you repeat the question " I say.

I can NOT focus .

There`s a baseball, soccer and football game happenning in my brain and there are no time outs.

Then when I speak, I talk 100 miles per hour.

I go from one idea to another while the rest of you squint at me wondering what the heck I`m saying.

Some of you are even wondering : Is she on crack ?

It`s a sugar fix, that`s what it is.

The worst part is you think I`m hilarious on a sugar rush.

Heck, I think I`m funny too.

Well my co-workers and my family surely don`t .

They can`t wait for the sugar level to drop.

In the meantime they have to endure my singing and dancing in the office, my trash music on the computer, my getting up from my chair every 2 seconds and all the stupid jokes and remarks imaginable.

Don`t believe me ?

Ask : Katherine, Paul Lachance, Luc Leblanc etc.

And there`s a new student-teacher coming next week ( Paul`s ) who`ll sit just across my desk !

I MUST WARN HIM BEFORE THE NEXT FIX !

And when school is over, it`s not over.

I dance in the truck ( Pierre is driving ) and his secret wish is to open my car door and push me out.

My kids constantly saying : Mommy stop ( stop repeating a crazy sentence over and over - my favorite : parler plus fort je n`vous vois pas from Le Coeur A Ses raisons ) or because I decided to speak French with a French accent while they`re watching their favorite t.v program or dancing in front of the t.v WHILE they are watching it.

They actually want to send ME to my room.

Sounds funny ?

It`s crazy and not pretty.

I turn into a 5-year-old !

My point is :

thank you every one for the cookies, muffins, caramel in a cone ( man, that was divine! ), jams, cakes, chocolate and candy but I gotta stop or consume in moderation.

You offerings just warms my heart, I`ll still accept but eat it slowly and spread it out during the day, so if I don`t eat it right away, don`t be offended.

Otherwise, I`ll have a divorce or lose my job, get a feuille de route ( I `ve been threatened before ) or all of the above.

As you can see, I don`t need drugs, never had to, I get high on life......and sugar.

Speaking of sweet and crazy, here are a few pics of my sweet treats.

Friday night : Rosie`s ballet night ...........and for the other two obviously.
Look, a totem pole.
Sweet Rosie, my eye- candy.
Mommy, being an idiot and setting the right example. I `m surprised my kids haven`t fired me yet. ***** Rosie is showing the PEACE sign over my head......********
While Rosie is taking a picture, Pierre does a very idiotic thing in the kitchen. Félix-Antoine thinks his daddy is hilarious, evidently, I don`t.Mom and Filou. See mom pinching filou`s ear to have him do a straight face.

No animals or children were injured during this picture.

Gotta go make some cookies.....kidding.

See y`all at school.

To my kids in Sec.4:

I`m so thrilled that you totally enjoy your new novel.

Some teachers heard you talk about it in their classes.

Ther`s proof right there.

Welcome to S.E Hinton`s world.

May it be the first of many.

For those who haven`t completed it yet : happy reading.

I told you it was that good.

No rest for the wicked,

Annie

ODE TO SPECIAL LADIES

Told you it wouldn`t take so long.
Actually, I hadn`t plan on posting so soon.
This is therapeutic posting.
I need to post this before I implose.

I `ve just come back from my second parent-teacher meeting at Curé Brassard.
I met my daughter`s teacher Monday night and my son`s teacher this evening .
What a show tonight !
Now I remember why I quit teaching elementary school.
Yes ladies and germs, I once taught elelmentary , I have a group picture to prove it.

The evening started very nicely.
Let it be clear my son has a wonderful teacher ( AGAIN ) this year and has my outmost respect and collaboration.
The show started at the end of the evening when the teacher explained that she would bring her GRADE 4 class ( they are 9 years old ! ) to the Lac en Coeur at the end of the year.

You should of heard the parents complaining how bad the idea was.
"Going to the Lac en Coeur is way too boring, there could be so many things better, my kid won`t want to go, couldn`t you do better ? and why don`t you bring them somewhere and sleep over like at Valcartier ?" and so on , and so on.

I was sitting at the back , at my son`s desk, almost eating my son`s pencil on his desk.
So I `m sitting in the back, biting my tongue, almost hitting the roof, doing my breathing exercises my doctor taught me so well when I wanna harm someone for their stupidity.
Who the HECK ( that`s not quite the exact word I had in my head ) do they think they are these parents ?
I have 2 bachelors degree in teaching and would NEVER, EVER tell my kids`teacher HOW to do her job !
After 6 minutes of this nonesense ( I timed it ), I had to speak.

" Your son is blasé already at 9 years old ? "
Total silence in the classroom.
" Do you have any notion how much work it is to ORGANIZE and COORDINATE this whole shingding with 24 9 year-old kids ? "
" She is a TEACHER, not a G.O at Club Med ! "
And finally to the teacher : " I`d rather you be a G.E - A GENTILLE ENSEIGNANTE than a G.O ( Gentille Organisatrice at Club Med ). If you don`t bring my kid out of town for a sleepover , I will appreciate you anyway. "

My son`s teacher laughed, but,needless to say, I didn`t make friends with SOME of the parents there.
The teacher did respond that it was NOT in her job description to do any trips whatsoever.
AMEN.
Because she is right.
Bottom line, a teacher is paid to TEACH.
You want your daughter or son to go to VALCARTIER for a sleepover ?
Bring him/her yourself.
Bring the rest of the class while you`re at it since, according to you, sounds so simple.
Why not reserve it now ?
And if your only priority is your kid`s minimum choice of activities, you got your priorities all screwed up lady.
Like fractions, French verbs, history,reading, you know what I mean ?

And my point also is : I`m so sick of parents telling teachers HOW to do their job !
I have no right to tell any parent how to do their job, why should they ?
How about I show up my a parent`s workplace and tell them how to do their job more productively?
I`d get a kick in the behind, let me tell ya.
Well that`s exactly what I wanted to do to SOME of the parents tonight.
I don`t tell them HOW to parent their kids either, and seriously, some are in dire need of advice in the domain.

My son`s teacher is near retirement.
She has lots more experience than me.
That would explain why she kept her cool, stayed open, and respectful.
She was a professional.
I`ve been in the same position not too long ago.
But to see a fellow colleague being under the axe like this was too much for me.
Especailly to elementary teachers who do so much.
They practically give their students a bath and put them in their pyjamas before they get on the bus now !!!!!
Give them a break will ya ?

It is YOUR job as a parent to take your kids to activities, museums etc.
Not the teacher`s.
Teachers TEACH, the rest is extra.

Oh my God, I feel so much better !
Better I vent here than in my son`s classroom a few hours ago.
I really would have been in the orbituary.

On that, I`m off planning my next activity for my students.
Just kidding.
That`s later next week.

Peace out before I hit someone.
( that was meant to be funny too )
Enough,
Tata

Annie `s Got Her Groove Back !

It`s been a month today.
Some of you were checking the orbituary in the newspaper to see if I had kicked the bucket ( died ).
Then you saw me in the school corridors.
" It`s been a while Annie ! "
" I know, I don`t have much time lately ( back to school and all ) and I really don`t have anything to write about, when I do , I will promise."
I figure, although most of you are loyal readers and commentors, if I bore you once, you won`t come back, right ?
Who would puposely want to bore their reader ?
Speaking of, let`s move along shall we .

I`m having a ball since I came back to school.
Seriously, my 2 groups of Sec.2 and both groups of Sec.4 are grrrreat .
I have nothing to complain about : they are eager, respectful, perfectionists, polite and cute.
I wanna bring them all home.

I have new material ( réforme style ) and am a bit nervous since I`m used to doing my own thing .
I`ll just have to take the new material and do it à la Annie.
Big year.
My kids in 4 chose a new novel.
From the 4 I proposed and exposed, they chose : That Was Then , This Is Now by S.E Hinton.
The other group is reading the also classic The Outsiders from the same author and by the looks on their faces, they`re really liking it.

So as you can see, life is grand.

Today, Paul Lachance and I got some special visitors :
Intensive graduates from last year.
My babies ( although 18 now ) , my darlings, my sweethearts.
Now obviously the 64 of them weren`t ALL there but 3.
Hey 3 is better than nothing AND besides it wasn`t JUST any 3.
Félix Mailly (I promised to hand deliver a jar of caramel on the job at IGA ), Joël -Jean Coutu Chassé and Etienne- Petite Vallée-I`m a great musician-Thibeault.

I seriously thought my mind was playing tricks on me again.
I sometimes see them in the corridors while I stand at my class door to welcome my kids before class, the only thing, it`s NOT them !
IT WAS TODAY !
THEY WERE MY AFTER LUNCH DESSERT.
We hugged, kissed, spoke very fast because we had a class coming up, smiled, told them I missed them, told me their plans at Cégep and off they went.
They`ll be back for sure they said. And they will.
What a great job I have.
How many of my students from last year ( sec.2 and 4 ) come in my doorway while I teach or at the break to say HELLO ?
Lots.
How many smile in the corridor on their way to their English class with ANOTHER teacher ?
Lots.
But you know what ?
You`ll be mine next year.
And to my Sec. 4 :`s I say : I`ll savor every second I have with you this year and will visit you as much as possible next year, and that`s a promise.

Am I lucky to teach English Concentration ?
Darn straight I am .
Do I appreciate it ?
Every day I teach you and every time you stop by and say " HELLO "
Do I miss you at the end of the year and when you graduate ?
You bet.
And I got proof again today .
When you come back, it`s like family you haven`t seen since last Christmas, a family reunion.
Maybe just to us the teachers, but then again, it`s them that come back to visit, that come back home.
Is it a compliment ?
Probably, what matters is seeing them in THEIR new ventures and starting a new life and somehow sown a seed somewhere.
In other words, there`s a little, little , little bit of your heritage somewhere in that person.
You helped them grow as they helped YOU grow as a teacher, and as a human .
Name me a job that does that ?
You don`t do that by working at Wal-Mart !
Do my students EVER get on my nerves ?
Sometimes, like my own kids get on my nerves, we all have our limits.
So if that`s not loving your students, I don`t know what it is.

Some of my darlings from last year have told me they`d visit during their Fall break.
Bring it on, the door is always open.

On that,
I promise my next post won`t take so long.
I`ll have pics to show you too.
Give me till the weekend.

Peace out !
Groove is in the heart baby !
Annie xx