21 March 2012

TIM Revisited

TIM: This Is Mexico.  Lately it seems as if I have been using this phrase like George uses the phrase, “Serenity Now” in “Seinfeld”.  Sometimes it calms me down and helps put into perspective my current frustrations, and sometimes I think it works against me and is driving me to insanity (some of you may ask, “But how can you be driven to a state you’ve lived in for such a long time?”). 

Here are my favorite “TIM Moments” from this week (so far… and it’s only Wednesday…):
·         Receiving a vague email about some play I’m supposed to take my students to see during class at the END of the day, the day BEFORE it happens—end result was that I did not receive the information until another teacher poked her head into my classroom in a middle of a quiz and told me it was time to go…  This is during the same class that I lost two whole periods the previous week due to testing and that the school refuses to create a modified schedule…

·         Because one of my classes didn’t have to take the quiz today, my last class of the day complained that it wasn’t fair and tried to convince me to move the quiz to tomorrow…

·         Going to the school library to check out “The Outsiders” movie that my AP told me was there (so I can show it to my class next week since we’ve finished the novel) only to be told that “the person” who checks out movies was not there and that the lady at the desk didn’t think they had that movie.  After an email to “the person” explaining I wanted to use the movie next week in my class, I received the following reply: “Sorry we don´t have the movie. We just called a proveedor and they can order it and have it here in about two weeks. Let me know if this would work for you.” …

·         I went to the copy place to pick up the copies I ordered last week, but Diana (the copy girl) wasn’t there, and there were three “repairmen” working on “fixing” the copiers and just looked at me like I was crazy for asking for my copies…

·         My AP (the same one who promised me the school had a copy of “The Outsiders”) stopped by my room today to make a face at me through the window while my students were taking a quiz—real professional…

I am able to see the humor in these situations in hindsight (and all but one of them were from today only!), but at the moment most of them were extremely frustrating.  God continues to allow these stumbling blocks into my life to ask me, “Do you still trust me?  Will you maintain composure and do the work I have called you to?”  And the answer to that question today was a forceful no when I threw my book on the ground and made a grunting noise and then ushered my students to the multipurpose room…

To end on a positive note, here are some good things:

·         Today I bought (or rather someone bought for me) a ticket to see “The Hunger Games” on Friday!!!

·         I found the movie “The Outsiders” online and I am able to download it (completely legally…) to use next week in my class!

·         I have all the vaccinations and medicine I need for Kenya!

·         I leave for Kenya in 9 days, 15 hours, 42 minutes, and 13 seconds!

·         And I just ate a frozen Snickers bar—satisfying and a good way to cool off!

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