Caught in a Time Warp

Sort Of

I went to my old school last night to help out the theater teacher who is currently stuck in bed with a high risk pregnancy.  Her students are putting up the mainstage production this week and needed nights at the school for tech and dress rehearsals.  The school didn't seem to see the need to provide a supervisor/teacher to take my friend's place, so she called me. 

When I got there, her stage manager (student) told her the school principal had nixed me as suitable because now I was a substitute, not a real teacher. (OK, now I have since checked with two certified administrators about this and both seem to think my supervising the students was perfectly fine and legal. )  At any rate, I ended up staying to watch the rehearsal/runthrough and was quite delighted to see the students taking on all the responsibility and doing a totally professional job.  The play is excellent and their work is outstanding.

By the by, I am a fully licensed and certified teacher in the State of New Jersey and am currently employed full time as a substitute teacher--board of education approved--in the district.  Somehow I am rather certain I am fully qualified to supervise students.  There was a school administrator in the building and other teachers teaching night school classes.   Ya know what??? I am insulted.  Gonna write a letter.

This is the kind of thing that added to my decision to retire. The theater arts teacher made herself sick trying to get this show off the ground despite many obstacles thrown in her way by the school, and in her time of need, there has been little support to help her and, more importantly, her students with their showcase production. For a moment, in the brief paradise of the school where I am now teaching, I had forgotten that frustration.  How sad to have found it again. I have time warped back to the past.

The Boys were silly yesterday morning as a squawking wild turkey was out in the pasture, distracting them from...of all things breakfast!! I finally marched out to convince the noisy bird to leave the premises so the Boys could eat in peace, safe from the dangerous and evil winged harpy they were seeing and hearing.

On another note, Tucker was looking much better with his shoes on.  He still had a little limp on the right rein, but looked great on the left. I'll give him another day or so and then try some work. 

Meantime, Toby let me catch him about four times yesterday with just a little of the "run around Jean in circles" routine.  Don't know if he is getting the idea that stopping is better than working himself into exhaustion as I keep chasing him, but we'll see.  He's been naughty about this for years, so I don't expect an overnight transformation.  Then again, he is a smart boy.

Smarter than some school official I know........