Chance of Destruction

Mischief on a Hot Day

I apparently did not fasten the clip on the gate at the end of the barn aisle this morning after I left.  When I got home, Chance was stationed in the barn aisle amid a swath of destruction.  The gate opens in, so once he was in the barn he couldn't get himself back out--his breaking and entering skills need some exiting work.

There were several piles of manure and some wet spots on the rather trampled pile of blankets and sheets--some of which looked to have been ripped.   So I suspect he was in there for the  better part of the day. 

But the biggest casualty of the day was my nylon jacket-- a nice lightweight Harry Hall.  I'd left it in the barn a few weeks ago.  Guess I should have taken it back inside.  Now it is in the garbage can.  It is one shredded mess with no chance of restoration.  This is the second jacket my happy little  horse has torn into pieces.  I have to wonder if he has an appetite for my clothes or if he just likes the why sleeves kind of rip off in his teeth!  I am a bit disappointed as I really did like that jacket, but what's done is done...and cannot be undone.  *lol*

I did go for a swim after school today, keeping it to only six laps since it was my first time in the water since I caught my cold.  I was feeling pretty cured today. 

Good thing, because the air conditioning system in the school was not working on my side of the building.  It still wasn't as bad as my classroom used to be in my old school, but it certainly wasn't comfortable.  Worse, the building does not have any windows that can be opened, so there was no way to even bring in any fresh air.   I think they fixed the system  by the early afternoon, and the students left early after a half day, at 1:30, so I didn't have to cope with their complaints. 

I have nearly all the work done I need to do to sign out for the year.  My exams are all graded, all my grades are calculated, the books are counted, and the room is nearly cleaned of all materials.  I still have a few little things to put away, but that's about it.  I looked over my checkout list, and made sure everything is ready to go. 

We only have two more half days of classes and then graduation on Wednesday night.  The Principal has arranged things so I will go back in on Thursday to do the official signout procedure, so I'll have one extra day of pay.  I know he feels that sub pay is far too little for all the work I've done.  That's nice of him. 

I'm actually glad I took on the job.  Working at this school validated all my teaching skills, as far as I'm concerned.  When I was in the other school, there were so many times I felt totally unappreciated both by my supervisors and my students.  Here, I've gotten nothing but positive vibes and one of my students stayed after class the other day to thank me because he'd enjoyed my class so much.  That made my day. 

I've spent 38 years of teaching spending a good part of every class trying to motivate students.  My success was pretty good, but it was often frustrating. Still, I knew I had accomplished a lot despite failures along the way.  At this school, the students are already motivated, so teaching them was far less challenging.  But, when I added all the little things I used to do to make class come alive for my difficult students, the techniques reaped ten times the reward.  It was nice.

I have put myself on the substitute teacher list for the Academy for next year, so I suspect I will be going in now and then.  I'll earn a little extra money along the way and keep in touch with some of the students I had in class this year. It will be fun.

It's too hot out to do anything with the Boys...again.  No biggie. With the barn raid by Chance, I'm sure everyone was quite amused for the day.