Venus Fly Traps and Heat Waves

Around 9 pm last night I got a call.  The voice was quiet and kind of sounded like a child.  Then I heard “Ms. Feldman?  Is that you?”  It was one of my students from summer school.  The one that was waaaay beyond his grade level and loved carnivorous plants.  This was also the one who was moved across the country because it was now “dads turn to deal with him.” I was in shock.  At the end of the class we gave out our numbers and emails, but never expected to actually get called by a 3rd grader.  For a half an hour I listed to him talk.  He told me about how he was in the search for a new Venus Fly Trap, how he was watching the news and learned of the heat wave happening in Miami and how horrible it was that people were dying, about how the desert is beautiful at the base of the mountains and much nicer it was than Chicago because there isn’t any humidity.  This kid can talk, he’s incredible.  I think at that point it started to set in.  I am a teacher, and I am someone’s go-to person.  It definitely makes you rethink how you spend your time.  Do I really want to sleep in until 12 or do I want to wake up and start lesson planning so I’m the best that I can be for these students?  How did I become this person?!  I loved sleeping in, saving everything for the last minute and rewriting the same essay to turn in for various assignments.  It feels good though.  Finally, I’ve found something that I don’t want to do half-assed.  I found something that I want to put in 110% to and that’s rad.  And yes, I may be a teacher, but I will still use “rad, stoked and whoa” in nearly every sentence

So here I am, on a Sunday morning at 9 am.  I could be sleeping, but instead I’m unit planning and writing about students.  I’m also listening to a group of older adults behind me, talking about how they’re racist towards groups of people but it’s ok because they know it… And I’m trying to remember that if I get arrested for making a scene in public, it probably won’t look that great as a teacher and then there will no longer be units to plan for…  Deep breaths…

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