Because Teachers Need to Laugh Too ....

I enjoyed the little education cartoons lately, so I thought I'd find you a few more:

In Defense of Teachers

My last "education" post was a little rough on the public school system -- the  system, mind you -- so I want to state here that my sympathies are solidly with the beleaguered teacher in the classroom. I know there are the slugs and the incompetents, the ones in it for the retirement, the ones who give easy grades, the ones in New York City's "rubber rooms."  But I'm convinced the majority of teachers out there (in all types of schools) are in the classroom for two reasons:  either they love teaching or they love kids. Or both.

I read this article today -- What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents.  It's a good, honest, straight-talking essay about the struggles teachers face with parents. We teachers know that the kids can be a pain, and your administrator may be a real pain, but it's the parents who make you want to quit your job. Think about it: kids are supposed to be difficult to train. That's why they need training. And one's boss is supposed to be tedious and hard-to-please; we expect that. But for a total stranger to come stomping into your workplace, begin screaming at you, and threaten to ruin your life, just because her precious darling got a bad grade, or was caught being dishonest, or was reprimanded in class (take your pick of kid misbehavior) -- at the end of a day of dealing with 87 high schoolers, there is no pay or retirement that makes such abuse worth it.

And yes, that scenario has happened to me. More than once.

Best quotes from the article? #1, from a quitting principal, "Look, if I get an offer to lead a school system of orphans, I will be all over it, but I just can't deal with parents anymore; they are killing us."

#2, "We are educated professionals who work with kids every day and often see your child in a different light than you do. If we give you advice, don't fight it. Take it, and digest it in the same way you would consider advice from a doctor or lawyer." Oh, AMEN!! I've had parents treat me like I was a rank beginner, a 14 year old babysitter, an idiot who knew nothing about teaching, kids, or literature. All I could think of was how thankful I was that the unteachable parent wasn't in my classroom, along with his kid.

#3, "One of my biggest pet peeves is when I tell a mom something her son did and she turns, looks at him and asks, "Is that true?" Well, of course it's true. I just told you." Oh ugh! I've seen this happen to a friend. The parent simply could not accept that her (deceptive, sneaky) teen son could possibly lie. Her brilliant deduction? An adult woman is lying about his behavior for no reason, and to no advantage to herself. Sure.

Contemporary math teachers are more hip than this.

I love the whole scenario about the summer reading assignments. I've experienced that also. Sigh. What part of the barnyard did that mom think I was born in?

#4, "If you don't want your child to end up 25 and jobless, sitting on your couch eating potato chips, then stop making excuses for why they aren't succeeding." Yes. Yes and yes.

#5, "The truth is, a lot of times it's the bad teachers who give the easiest grades, because they know by giving good grades everyone will leave them alone." Uh huh. The teachers everybody loves, the easy ones, the sweet ones. But they don't always do what they should be doing:  teaching. They are palling around, gabbing, being great friends with your kid. But in case you didn't notice, your kid doesn't need more friends (he has 798 on facebook). He needs a couple of great teachers who will challenge him to stretch himself academically, and maybe even stretch his character.

#6, "Finally, deal with negative situations in a professional manner." Please don't treat my classroom, which is my professional space, like it's your bedroom at home, a place to hash out unpleasant personal oddities in your family.

I have four children.  I've also been on the "parent" end of the situation. My kids have had incompetent teachers, unfair teachers, mean teachers, lazy teachers. I usually sigh and tell my child that it will only last a semester, or a year. Sometimes it's a bigger deal. But unless the problem comes seeking me out, I try to encourage my kids to talk with the teacher and work it out.

One year, my son had a teacher who (I think) truly hated him. But I knew that my son could also be extremely difficult, rude, and disrespectful in the classroom, especially to teachers he views as incompetent. He has no respect for them. We tried to discourage this attitude (he's getting better), but it's tough for a bright teenager to respect a dense adult. While he was gone one class period, volunteering at a school production, she gave a test. He didn't know he'd missed it, and by the time he found out, he wasn't about to ask her. Their relationship was too damaged. He let it pass. It dropped his course average from somewhere in the upper 90s, to a 79.

I let it pass. Later, when discussing the school with a friend's daughter (who is now about 24), she guessed immediately who the teacher was, and declared that she has always been a horrible teacher, none of the kids respect her, she struggles every year as they insult and deride her. She's been that way for many years. Her class is a waste. Perhaps my son's experience wasn't so unusual after all. Should parents complain? Perhaps. Does she deserve to be teaching? No. Is she damaging young people? Definitely.

But the character lesson to my son may be valuable. Because some kids face their own weaknesses when they go to school, and they fail the character test. But others face a teacher's weakness, or a friend's weakness, and those character tests are important too. Kids face enough struggles as it is; parents and teachers don't need to add to their burden by bringing their own pettiness to the situation.

Another advantage for homeschooling?  Absolutely no teacher/parent troubles. After 10 years of classroom teaching, I'm thankful for that every day.

The Tea Cozy

So, here's the tea cozy. I must say (to be honest) that it doesn't look as good in photos as it does in person :) The yarn looks bumpy and rough here, when actually it is silky and smooth -- more elegant looking. Ah well.

I had to start the coy three times. The first 2 times, I was expanding too much as I crocheted up, over the pot. I also began with an idea to do the round disc bottom, and then make two side panels that would come up on either side of the pot, leaving both the spout and the handle free. But the third time I began, I liked the idea of crocheting all the way around, leaving only the handle free. Here I am, just up to the spout. I made a little chain stitch above the spout -- the spout slips into its own hole in the cozy. The handle side is closed with a ribbon.

Here's the ribbon. You can't see much of it on the finished cozy because it's threaded through the neck of the cozy. Very pretty ribbon though. I want to crochet with the reminded. I don't know what yet.

The finished cozy. I hope you can get an idea of it. It's not designed to keep the tea piping hot. If a tea cozy is like a coat for your tea pot, then perhaps this is more like a tea jacket :) (Or as Julia says, a tea sweater).

Around the Hand-work Table

Here's a line-up of all the beautiful things being made in our Hand-work Group (aka, knitting/crocheting/quilting group):
Miss H. is crocheting a small blanket with a new pattern. She's doing a trial run with this pink yarn, to make sure she understands the instructions. Looking good! This is the center of one of the squares.

Miss M. is making a baby blanket. I love this yarn; it's so soft. She has beautiful cabling in this pattern.

Miss C. just finished knitting this scarf today and tried it on for us :) The yarn must have silk in it, because it's so soft. She does an excellent job with the basketweave pattern.

Miss C. is quilting. She was given this quilt top, already pieced, but unfinished otherwise. She's been working on the bottom quilting and edges. It's so pretty and old-fashioned.

Miss J. (our hostess) has been digging out old projects that she hasn't finished. Some of them are decades old! This is a sweater -- isn't that pattern gorgeous! She's trying to relocate instructions and remember exactly what she was doing with each one.

Here's another one - a sweater in black. Both pieces are knitted.

Miss K. was new to our group this morning, but is an old friend. She is knitting socks. And let me tell you, when we all saw her socks (she was wearing a pair), we all exclaimed that we had to learn how to make them! She starts at the toe, and the way she casts on, there is no seam there. Amazing! And the heels are perfect. Her pair looked so comfortable. I can't wait to begin. And if mine turn out a bit scary-looking? Who cares? They're socks, and will be hidden under pants and inside shoes :)

A delicate rose was our centerpiece.

I bought this ball of yarn at a junk store for 25¢. I decided to make little coaster doilies with it, and made 6.

Very pretty. But what to do with the rest of the yarn? I made a larger doily, to go beneath the tea pot. But then one lady, looking on, said, "Oh, a tea cozy!" And immediately I knew I had to try it. So today I made a tea cozy with the rest of the yarn. I had to start over twice, but it turned out well. I'll show it to you ... next time.

Lemon Cream Pasta

Adam saw this recipe on Lydia's Italian cooking show, and he knew immediately that it would be delicious. So, 20 minutes before supper tonight, he asked if I'd mind if he made a side dish. Sure, said I!
It begins with a stick of butter melted in a skillet, and then you add the zest and juice of one lemon. I'd put the zest in first, and after the juice, you must stir it constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Use a fairly low heat.

After it's thickened, begin slowly adding cream. He put in about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of whipping cream. Half and half might work also. Then add some salt and pepper, and I added a sprig of rosemary.

It's served in pasta. Adam picked out radiatore pasta, a chunky, crinkly pasta. It holds the light sauce well. We both think it would be even better with a linguini.

Then you mix it all together and serve it up. The lemon -- ah, the lemon! It gives it a bright, delightful taste. This is a really special side dish. I highly recommend it. Tonight we had it with baked chicken thighs and caramelized butternut squash (remember? the one we found growing in my mom's compost?) It was the best batch of this yet, because I cooked it longer and it caramelized even more. Delish!!

Yum!

Next, I'll be doing a crafty post about our knitting group today, and the fun things we're making.

The Wind In the Willows

Pom Pom is doing another Wind In the Willows blog event -- a Grand Tour! I'm not exactly sure what will be happening, or what a Grand Tour involves, but I want to be involved! So, when Julia and I painted today, I chose a "WITW" picture to copy.

This was a challenge for me, and I didn't finish all the background. I focused on the characters.

I think Badger turned out best. Sorry the photo is fuzzy. His shape isn't quite right, although his head turned out rather fine.

And I liked Rat okay. He was quick and easy to do -- lots of white. The actual color on him, as you see, is limited. He looked funny before I pulled out the pen -- nothing like a rat at all! I had to do him fast b/c he was last, and my laptop was running out of power. I was copying from a photo online.

Poor Mole. I don't like how he turned out at all. May need to try him again.

We had fun sitting on the cool porch in the fog, listening to branches tumble down and squirrels scurry by. We had quite a storm last night. All outdoors seems still to be recovering from its midnight adventures. Nobody was sleeping much.

Peter's Fried Egg Sandwich

Peter saw a picture online of something he wanted to eat. Here it is! He said to remove the inside of two pieces of bread. I didn't have a biscuit/doughnut cutter, so I just used the rim of a glass. Put the 2 pieces, stacked, into a well-buttered frying pan on medium heat. Then carefully crack two eggs into the hole.

And let the eggs cook on low heat until they are holding together well on the bottom. If you wait until the white is cooked fully, you'll be there until bedtime. So grip your spatula and give it your best pancake flip:

Be sure you buttered the area on the pan you flipped it onto also. Then let it finish grilling.
Peter decided it would be good with a slice of deli ham and some American cheese, so we did that too. We warmed the ham in the skillet first, and I covered the whole thing with a smaller skillet, so the cheese would soften.

He said it was very good. So then I made one for myself.