hmm 12 days

i should have written on sunday night, but mostly i felt like being self-defeated and in bed in a city that is at least 7 million people too big... if i had, though, this probably would have only been a foot note in the third post (presumably the 3rd one, remember the low expectations)

kid A:"luke-teacher, what the answer to number 2?"

me: "ah, 'to be', now i know it's not on the irregular verb sheet, but remember? we studied 'to be' all be itself. Now these are the present tense conjugations of be" (write write write) "ok, now we've seen this before, does anyone remember how to turn these into past tense?"

kid E: "was?...and were?"

me: "that's right: 'was' is the answer to number 2."

kid A: " luke teach--"

kid B: "mr. luk--"

kid C: "--teacher?"

me: "yes, kids?"

kid C: "what's #2?"

me: "you're kidding, right? what did kid E just say? what did i just say before you interrupted?"

(silence silence silence kid D looks vacant)

me: "ok, ok-- how about this? today i am a teacher. yesterday i ....... a teacher."

kids A,B,C, and D: ...

me: "alright let's do this together." (write write write) "so this is the past conjugation of be. right here where i'm pointing. so if today i am a teacher, then yesterday i ....... a teacher.--anybody?"

(silence silence silence)

"ok, so kid E told you the answer, i told you the answer, i even wrote it down and pointed to it- what else can i do? 'was' is the answer. i'm am saying it right now: 'was' is the answer. look! i am pointing to it right now! write 'was' or 'were' or 'was/were' any combination will work..."

(I underline and circle 'was'in red)
(kid A looks confused...then excited)

kid A: "#2? what the answ-"

me: "A!!! look at me. everyone stop. just STOP!!! look at teacher! ok listen to me: 'was' is the answer to #2. 'was' 'was' 'was' pick up your pencils, look at the number 2, next to it i want you to write 'was', write 'was', do it now, write 'was'. why are you still looking at me? look at your paper and write 'was'..."

kid C: "luke teach-"

me: " NO! stop it" (i crouch down and my voice gets fierce and quiet) "write the word ' was' right now. here! watch as i do it on the board."

(W) (A) (S)

well they wrote down the word was. then they proceeded to finish the rest of the sheet is 5 five minutes. sure, it took 10 to write down was, but everything else was easy... wankers. ok, so i cracked at them- one of them had got me sick, i was just starting to feel it, and this was my first full day back after a mostly nice (and so far only) weekend out of the city-- so yeah, i was primed to be a dick.

fortunately i spent yesterday sweating the virus out of me wrapped in blankets. i knew i was a stone's throw away from screaming at the kids. the nice thing about being immobile and physically... achy is that it gives you time to think. truths, heretofore unrealized, became self evident. that irascible ding-dong-ditcher opportunity lingers after he knocks and then lets himself where he proceeds to climb square on to your chest, stick his fat, stubby, cocktail dog looking finger in your face and says "it's about damn time you figured it out." now, while we all know opportunity is infamous for smelling like raw ass, that didn't stop him from being right-- it was about time. i really do have to be nicer to the kids and nicer to myself too.