Friday at Last.

The stalker (an energy vampire)is on the phone (6:41 a.m.) already seeking to devour my entire weekend--and my soul as well.

AHhhhhhhh

Energy vampires!

Why do I always attract them?

Energy vampires, by definition are people who attach themselves to you and suck every morsel and drop of life force out of you. Then they move on to the next ripe victim. Energy vampires want to yammer on and on and on about their problems, pontificate about their beliefs, bitch about their enemies, brag about their kids (and in the stalker's case her annoying little mutt as well), and stroke their own egos incessantly. They ask you what you think--but they don't really want to know. It's either an excuse to leap in before you finish your sentence and pontificate on THEIR view point, or they just plain don't listen and talk right on over the top of you.
The stalker, for example, called me up to tell me her dog was looking at a squirrel out the window. I could hardly hear her because the damn pooch was yelping in his incessant high pitched YAP YAP YAP. That dog has never been trained at all. She affectionately calls him "my Bigmouth." I call him (inside my head) "the pain in the ass."

And her voice is the MOST ANNOYING VOICE in the universe. Think of a higher pitched Roseanne Barr speaking in a petulant, pouty tone--at the top of her lungs. She doesn't have a normal speaking voice. She shrieks. Without fail, she gives me a screaming headache everytime we do anything together.


Yet, I cannot bring myself to be mean to this woman--I don't even hate her. Though I wish she would LEAVE ME ALONE. I get sick of the constant clinginess. She suffocates me.

She means well, I think. She's lonely. (No wonder--if she annoys all the people who know her half as much as she annoys me, she's a pariah.) She is very generous--is constantly giving me soup or banana bread or inviting me over to supper (which I almost always decline on the excuse that I have too much homework--generally true). When she saw that I don't wear a coat in the winter--I wear my hoodie all winter unless it is DESPERATELY cold because I don't like the bulk of the winter coats--she gave me a jacket that she didn't wear anymore. It was a very nice jacket and I wore it a lot in the really cold weather.

So I'm torn between annoyance with her and guilt for the fact that I know she loves me and considers me her best friend. SIGH.

Ah, well. Maybe I could get her and the dog a shock collar, and shock them both when noise gets too annoying.

hehehehe

Maybe not.

**********************

Well, so much for the stalker. We have tenatively arranged to go to a movie today at 3:15. She will be happy, and I will consider it an innoculation against further stalker infestation for the rest of the weekend. "Close your eyes. Think of England."

I have parent teacher conferences again today from 8 am till noon. It will surprise me if I have ten people. However, it is easier in the day time. I am used to being at school in the day time. It doesn't seem so awful--it is very hard for me to be there past 6 pm. That's MY time.

Here are the things I hope to accomplish at school today:

(1) Correct everything.
(2) Finish inputting the Lois Lowry books to IBDoF database.
(3) Put grades into the computer.
(4) Finish doing end of year self-evaluation. (arg. Usually I'm the first one done with this--and I have it in WEEKS before it is due. THIS year, it is due today, and I haven't even started it. GAH!)
(5) Clean off the white desk (the brown one I did yesterday, then I got into the Lois Lowry books, and that's all I wanted to do for the rest of the evening. I LOVE doing that data entry. I must be sick.)
(6) File that basket of filing that's been sitting on my desk for MONTHS.
(7) Get stuff ready for the Graphic Lit class and the Outcasts, Misfits, and Monsters class. I'd especially like to get the last three crosswords made for OMM, because they take time and are a pain in the ass to do quickly. It's too easy to make mistakes.

If I could get all that done, I'd be deliriously happy.

Oh, and I'd LOVE to be able to clean out the rest of my desk drawers as well.

But, that's low priority. Heheheh

Tomorrow, Kelly P. is coming over for help with her last two research papers--basically that means, "Cheryl, WRITE my papers for me." Sigh. So, tomorrow is shot in the ass before it even begins.

So much for getting my house clean and my laundry done tomorrow. THAT will suck up my whole Sunday.

Poor, poor me. Boo hoo hoo.

How pathetic I am.

Tearful Mother at Conferences

I had four conferences today.


One was very touching. Tim's mom cried.


I have Tim three times a day. Tim is very deficient in English credits. I don't understand how Tim can be deficient in English credits because he's getting three A's from me--well deserved and hard earned A's.


This poor woman came into my room fearfully, as if she expected to be smacked or something, and introduced herself as "Tim's mom."


I said, "Oh, hi! It's nice to meet you! I LOVE Tim; he is the best kid..."


A rather aghast look came over her face and she said, "Tim XXX is my son."



I said, "Yeah, he's my ONLY Tim this year--unlike the eight ASHLEY'S and five JEREMY's I have." (Actually, I do have another Tim, but he's in my homeroom, and I know his parents on sight.)


We sat down at the table and I showed her Tim's grade printouts for each class--a sea of A's, every single assignment completed.


She got more and more agitated as I told her about Tim's behavior and attitude in class--perfect and excellent--and how bright he is--very. Finally she interrupted me, "You are talking about MY son--Tim?"


I laughed. "Yes," I said. (I've heard this before--some parents just cannot believe their child's teachers can like them as people--bad experiences from other schools.)


Suddenly she burst into tears. (This too has happened here before.) "I'm sorry," she said, "I've just ... never ... heard any teacher... say anything .... GOOD ... about this child....before."


Handing her Kleenex, I said, "Well, get used to it, because ALL the teachers feel the same way about Tim."

Then she told me how much he HATED school in his old school, and how much he loves it here--she said, "I wish we could have got him started here earlier!"


Check us out! http://www.rocchs.org



We chatted a while longer, then she went on to the next teacher. The poor thing was a wreck by the time she left, but she was a happy wreck, who left with HOPE for her child.


That is the beautiful thing about working at R.O.C. We take the kids that other schools crumple into a ball and toss into the garbag. We smooth them out, love them, and give them a chance to leave their baggage at the door and take a fresh start.


We are not always successful, but by goodness, we have a lot more successes than we do failures!


My darling Amanda (one of my homeroom kids who took a steep nosedive into the wonderful world of crack this year and ended up choosing crack over us and her family) called today. She has 31 days clean, is fresh out of treatment, and is FIRED UP to start school again. She's checking into after care and getting Laurie, one of our staff who is in recovery, clean for 15 years, to be her sponsor.


She is coming in on Tuesday or Wednesday to see me and Jay, my boss--our administrator, the most wonderful man I've ever met. He used to remind me of Jesus when I first knew him. Heheheh


Now, he's just Jay, who sees the good in everyone but who will rip you a new orifice if he thinks you need it. hehehehe


He has never been mad at me personally, thank God!


So now conferences are over. I have completed my inputting of Lois Lowry--and I started inputting Kathryn Lasky. I can hardly wait till summer when I have time to read--though I will miss my kids terribly. Sigh.


I have to stop dicking around on the internet and get my self-eval done for Jay. I haven't started it, and it is due today.


This is NOT like me, but it has been a weird year for me. I've never been so ill-prepared at school--at least not in the recent past. Sigh.


I have too many irons in the fire right now--and instead of pulling some out, I'm adding more in!