It's a Family Tradition

I'm just carryin' on a family tradition. ~ Hank Williams, Jr.

As I was strolling down the hallway of my school on Tuesday, I noticed the new first grade display: a paper quilt detailing each first grader's Thanksgiving traditions. It is precious....bulletin board paper with hand print turkeys surrounding colorful squares of paper created by each first grader. I searched for Son's. We had been asked to discuss our holiday traditions at home prior to this activity. We talked about the different family members who gather together (usually averaging around 20) and the food we eat. I was confident he would have no problem recollecting the details of our holiday. Imagine my surprise when I find the paper with his name on it with a sentence that reads something along the lines of "My family plays cornhole toss and then we jump on a trampoline." WHAT?! I checked the name on the paper at LEAST three times!! Cornhole toss? I'd never heard of it let alone played it! As far as I knew the word 'cornhole' was synonymous with 'butt hole'!!! Jumping on the trampoline?! We don't own one! Perhaps one year there was jumping, but for most of the boy's life we have eaten at the community building to accommodate our large family: no trampoline! I finally looked up this 'cornhole toss' and find that it is a real activity....nothing to do with butt holes. However, it is still not part of our Thanksgiving repertoire. Perhaps Son is just a visionary like George Costanza's father, the creator of Festivus; rather than continue with the honored tradition of Thanksgiving, we shall now have Cornhole Toss. The Feats of Strength associated with Festivus will be replaced with the Trampoline Jump. I shudder to think what menu items Son will adopt for this holiday. To top it all off, we will have the Liar Liar Pants on Fire portion which Son apparently has mastered. So, family members, enjoy this year's traditional Thanksgiving as it is being replaced by Son's version. Cornhole toss......classic. This is one story that will become part of MY Thanksgiving tradition, "Do you remember the year Son told his first grade class that we play cornhole toss?"

GGGGGGOOOOOTTTTTTT IIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!

I CAN'T EVEN FIND A QUOTE!!!! I GOT IT!!!!!!

The Power

Make people wait for what they want, and you have power over them. ~ unknown

I honestly believe that this is the secret motto of National Board. I submitted my portfolio in March. Then, I took the written test at the assessment center. Since that time I have progressed through many stages:

1. Thank God it's over. I don't give a crap about it any longer!!!

2. Gee, I think I did a good job. I think I may just have a chance.

3. I suck! I am a loser and will not get it. (I alternate between 2 and 3 quite often depending on the level of self-loathing I am experiencing.)

4. I don't care if I ever see the damn scores now that I'm done.

5. Hmm.....aren't those scores due soon?

6. What?! November 21st? Where does it say that? How long do I have to wait? WHEN are they actually going to post the date?!

7. Is it okay to check the site for news of the release date 20 times a day? Do I need to consult professional help for OCD?

Until finally at 4:30-ish today.......

8. The date is posted. It IS tomorrow. I'm going to puke!!!

And that, my friends, is where I stand NOW! My stomach has been a bit uneasy most of the day. I am officially nauseous now. I could easily vomit. As much as I want to know, I DON'T want to know. The scores are available mid-morning tomorrow. I have sworn to myself that I refuse to look while the students are there. I remember last year how sad it was to see excellent teachers not achieve certification. Understandably, they were devastated and had to leave school. I do not want to be seen hysterical (which I'm sure I will be if the result is less than 275). BUT.....can I really make myself wait until after school? I say I can, but do I really have that much willpower? Since there are so many of us waiting, it's tricky to know how to act. How do we let our colleagues know? Joy took the day off. Kinda wish I'd done that now, but I didn't want to needlessly use a day off.....especially since I wasn't completely sure the scores WERE coming tomorrow. I also despise writing lesson plans. It's easier to be in school as opposed to writing DETAILED lesson plans explaining a day's events. So...by this time tomorrow I will know one way or another. I guess I will be back tomorrow to share my news. Until then........

Waiting and Waiting and Waiting

The waiting is the hardest part...~Tom Petty

My new obsession? I guess that should be plural b/c there are two main new ones. One would be my Facebook. I loved MySpace until I got on Facebook and found a bunch of old friends. Now I can't stay away...checking out everyone's quotes, seeing the pics, and sending around flowers, drinks, etc.

The other obsession? Checking the National Boards site to see if they are letting us know the release date of the scores. Is once a day enough? NO! Have they given the smallest hint? NO! All the site says is "on or before Dec. 31, 2008". Local scuttlebutt says that Nov. 21 is the big date. 9AM on a Friday. Can I really wait until after school to check? Should I take the day off? I do not want to ruin my day with my students by reading bad news at 9AM. I really don't know if I can restrain myself until I am out of there. I don't think I want to take a full day off. If I do receive bad news, I will be worthless, though. Oh, what to do, what to do. All this waiting and wondering is really starting to get to me. Yeesh!