morning ramblings

Wow! I cannot believe it's been since Monday without an update. It's been a whirlwind of a week! The job is obviously keeping me busy all day, and I am exhausted when I get home. Tuesday I had to drive Megan to the newspaper for the all-conference photos, and then on Wednesday night they had their high school sports 'ceremony,' and she actually won MVP! We weren't expecting this at all, because in past years they have made sure that only seniors get the two plaques. So every year, Megan and her friend have carried the team, and every year they have watched others get the awards. We expected the same this year, but went anyway because they usually say a little about their accomplishments over the season.

This year was different in that too - other teams would announces this one or that one broke this or that record, won this or that event, or were selected for this or that conference team. Not hers - they said that the girls' team placed in the top ten at both the county and conference meets. That was it. So it was a bit disappointing, since she was undefeated the entire season, including the county and conference meets, and she broke her two records set last year after the old ones had stood for twenty years. (They did give her a trophy for this in their private session.) But when they got to the awards and gave one to a sophomore boy, my ears perked up. But the boys' has gone to younger kids before, just not the girls'. Then when they announced the first award for was Megan's friend, I really sat up straight. And sure enough, they announced her as MVP. So that was exciting.

And the job: it is rough. On Wednesday I had to be with the other kid, the one I had thought I would be with when I showed up on Monday. He was bad twice during the day and got in big big trouble. I feel like trouble follows me. I don't know if I am not doing what I should be to keep these kids from behaving like this, or if they don't respond to me, or if it's just the way they are. I assume I am going to have the job back for the remainder of the time but I have to double check on that today. I have always preferred the older kids when given the choice, and I definitely feel that I do better as a classroom aide than a personal aide - because that's when they kids just need a little help or extra focus, and not these major negotiations just to keep them in line. So I'm having a bit of a hard time with it too. A couple of times I had to fight off the urge to just get up and walk out of the school! (not really, but I felt like it.) But that didn't happen yesterday for the first time, so maybe I'm getting better. My kid still doesn't have the right kind of respect for me yet. And maybe he won't ever.

Finally, the weekend of the state meet has arrived. Kevin and Megan are out in PA already, and I have to drop off Brian and Wilbur this morning, then work. I'll leave straight from the school at 3 and hope to get to the pool in time for finals at 6:15. I'll expect texted updates throughout the day. I'm irritated that I can't leave sooner, and the weather is going to be awful. I feel bad for Wilbur because he won't have much fun outside with the other dogs in this projected mess. Molly won't like going out, but she lies around all day anyway, and she's with the Doll, who will also come by and pick up Brian after school.

As for Brian, he pulled his grades up in the two classes but then dropped the ball in a third. He has a bunch of tests coming up as the marking period draws to a close, and hopefully he is staying current on the material. He has instructions to study all day tomorrow, and then he is allowed to go sleep at a friend's house. They both have to be in church all day Sunday, He finished tennis tryouts yesterday and although teams are to be posted Monday, he heard only three freshmen would make it, and he feels he knows who they are based on yesterday's court placement. So that will make him a little sad, but he can use the time to pass the year!

And in other news, Kevin found out his bonus and compensation info this week. He was happy with the raise, but the bonus was the lowest it's been in three years. The bank explained it by saying blah blah blah and of course in this economy one has to be understanding. But it's still always a disappointment to see your total compensation go down, when you know your group has been a high performer. So you take a hit to cover for the others. But it's still a nice bonus. And on that note...I am off.