ohhh, domino

this is my tenure year. remarkably, i've picked up speed in many categories of my life, including work. timing worked well for me on this occasion. of course i certainly didn't plan to be productive. it just happened.

i organized a voter registration drive which wrapped up about a week or so ago. it was a last minute effort, but i still managed to get over 50 students and faculty registered. i impressed myself. my students impressed me. i told them they were going to volunteer the opening day of the drive and i expected moaning and foul language sighed just loudly enough to hear but not loudly enough to make a scene about. instead i got open eyes and curious mouths. it was miraculous. i fucking love teaching.

so today, as a non-tenured teacher, i was observed by my principal (-pAl because she's my PAL). there are rumors that she's a lesbian, but that affects me very little. though, co-workers tell me that she loves me. i think it's because of my natural genius, not my vagina.

the lesson went well, the PAL in the back of the room, fingering through my lesson plans, which were haphazzardly tossed into a three-ring binder and sectioned arbitrarily with halved manila folders. i could see through it. i don't think she did.

we did this thing called "The Domino Project" which really was out of place chronologically (it really should've happened either a bit later or much sooner to fit in with the rest of the curriculum, but it was a flashy fun type of lesson that made kids "think" and "smile" simultaneously). the real story (isn't here, really) was when the PAL started getting caught up in the lesson. not really like "woo-hoo! learning is fantastic with Ms. H!!" but more like taking an active role as a teacher may. i wasn't sure how to interpret this. she did do it with happiness and the occasional smile, but i somehow got the feeling that she just wanted to take over. and not because i was failing, but because she wanted to play. she wanted to play with my dominoes.

i'm not sure what to make of this. though, there is no real mystery. she'll have a written report for me in a few days.

regardless of PAL, i did suceed with the kiddos. one even asked me to help HIM latch his bracelet after class, all foolishness aside. and you don't ask just *anyone* to help latch your bracelet. you ask a cool muthergrabbin teacher with dominoes.

boo-yeah.