I Voted!

Thanks to everyone who left comments! It's nice to know I'm not the only one feeling this way.

At the suggestion of a blogging friend of mine, I've added a "subscribe" button, so you can find out when WTFF has been updated. (And yes, I've been alerted to how "interesting" the initials are. Some may say it accurately describes the mood around here.)

I voted today! I hope you did too! FEA gave out a list of education-friendly candidates, and the "Proposition A & B" mess was confusing to anyone who hadn't read carefully. With any luck, the turnover on the school board and the impending Nov. 1 deadline for health plan enrollment will convince the district to reconsider. I have hope that they are coming around.

If you haven't read Christine Dyer's or Cheri Howards's letters to the editor on newsminer.com, I recommend them. (So does everyone else..Christine got over 120 comments and Cheri is at 48 and counting. Unfortunately, some were personal attacks on individual teachers, which I find reprehensible. There were a gratifying number, however, that were very supportive.) Ultimately, however, I can't help thinking that if someone hates teachers, I am unlikely to change their mind. That does not, however, mean I will quit talking. There are people who either don't know what's going on (unbelievable but true) or haven't decided yet how they feel. Mostly, we have to support each other.

It gets harder to get through the day as we read nasty comments on websites and in the news, when we hear Dr. Wagner say that her plan to make teachers feel valued is to come to our rooms and pin ribbons on us, when we know that ultimately this situation just hurts our kids. I just keep telling myself that there ARE people who care, people who value teachers and education, that what we do is important and rewarding.

My husband is a saint. (First, he married a teacher...crazy!) This weekend he planned a surprise birthday-scavenger hunt-party-thing for me. We went to the football game (Go Ravens!) and I had to go person to person gathering clues and doing silly things to get to the next step in the game, all culminating in a surprise party for me at the end. This was a huge, super-secret plot. Other teachers, staff members, parents, current and former students volunteered to help. The entire cheerleading team was involved. And while I don't relish the memory of singing "head-shoulders-knees-and toes" to the stadium fans, I do relish the memory of all the students in the stands cheering along with me, the many birthday wishes, the fact that all these people do support me as a teacher. The reason I mention it is to remind all the teachers who read this that our community values us. They are willing to invest their time and energy in expressing their support. Whenever I get down, I remember that most kids DO care. Parents and community members value what we do. We're there to make a difference in these kids' lives, and we DO.

For me, this weekend was a much-needed reminder.