This is an empty shop I pass on Finchley Road as I walk to and from work. It has a blue film over the window, which is responsible for the color of the photo. Looks like there might be some water intrusion problems there in the back! Maybe that's why the place hasn't been rented.
Not much news around here. A normal workday yesterday -- I pulled a bunch of books for the 7th Graders, who are doing projects on the historic revolutions in France, Russia, Haiti and the USA, as well as Indian independence. A very global focus!
The only thing I specifically remember about my 7th Grade Social Studies class is my teacher, Ms. Nichols, and the comments the kid sitting behind me would make about her. They were rude enough that I wouldn't want to repeat them here. You might say he had a crush on her, but that makes it sound much more innocent than it actually was. I bet that kid is a sex offender now.
I also remember a project I did with another student about the Civil War battles of Bull Run. My family had visited the battlefield while we stayed with my grandmother up in Washington, D.C., so they were at the forefront of my mind. I was also going through a period of fascination with the Civil War, having just read "Gone With the Wind." So when we had to choose something to study, that's what I came up with, and a kid named Mark was my study partner. As I remember, we made a hand-drawn filmstrip using transparencies that detailed the battles. I did the research and he did the drawings. I still remember his bubble-headed little stick men shooting each other.
I have to go to the dentist this morning for a cleaning. My boss quipped yesterday that I will have lots of time for these sorts of things after I retire on the 15th -- the unspoken question being, "Why do you have to go to the dentist now, and miss one of your last mornings of work?" I told her this appointment was made ages ago, which is partly true, though it was shifted by a few days just recently. I'm allowed to take care of my teeth, dammit.
How old are 7th graders, around 14? Like you say, it seems like a very global approach. Funny what and how we remember from our own school days. I wonder whether your subject "Social Studies" is the equivalent of what was called "Gemeinschaftskunde" in Germany; not really history, but touching on it, with a contemporary take.
ReplyDeleteYes, you ARE allowed to take care of your teeth, or any other health matter! And with only a few working days left for you, how much can it really matter to your boss?
That lit up shop looks like it could be a portal to another world.
I wonder what sticker cat is worried about today?
ReplyDeleteBet you will be happy to leave that boss behind, when will they learn the best working environment is one where your workers are happy and feel respected.
ReplyDeleteI must say that never once in all my many years as a teacher did I ever have a dental appointment in work time. I arranged them in the holidays or after the school day but of course I am a perfect human being just like Big Boss Woman. Sometimes I look back and wonder why I was so dedicated. What was the point?
ReplyDeleteWe have to grab medical appointments whenever they are offered or else we'd miss out!
ReplyDeleteI can’t remember anything about 7th grade social studies. Not a thing. Although, I THINK the teacher was a strawberry blonde and a good friend of my 6th grade teacher from my previous school, whom I liked a lot. Is that social studies?
ReplyDeleteJust think (and I’m sure you have), after the 15th you won’t have to put up with that!
The nagging will all stop very soon, and you will be able to have your teeth professionally cleaned whenever you want to. Sometimes bosses just like to exert that little bit of power.
ReplyDeleteI don't like people who make snide comments. They tell you more about the person making them.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your boss has a point. You will have plenty of time once you retire, unless your retirement is like mine and everything expands to fills your life.
ReplyDeleteFunnily, perhaps by reading about a female teacher being prosecuted for sex with a young teen student, to whom she became pregnant, I was thinking about such matters. Should it really be classed as child rape?
School students lusting after teachers is time immemorial.
You have a right to schedule a dentist appointment convenient for you; I make mine every time I leave the dentist office, so I don't know what's happening that day in advance. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the dentist. Your title was what I taught when I retired!
ReplyDeleteLooking back at those kids in my middle school, those that did end up being sex offenders were not the ones I would have guessed. One was a chubby kid who really never dated or had a girlfriend in school and pretty much kept to himself. The other was just a farm kid who seemed pretty normal. Those that made a lot of crude comments like what you were suggesting, ended up with wives and kids fairly quickly. Admittedly though, some may have had a few wives though I have never kept track of that.
ReplyDeleteNothing like having snide comments to remind you why you are retiring. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I overheard a truly rude comment from a student, I’d take them out into the hall and make them repeat it to my face -with no audience. Funny how reluctant they were.
ReplyDeleteI had so many sick/vacation days built up, that the last three weeks that I "worked" I only worked three days.
ReplyDeleteI wonder who your boss will snark at after the 15th. What difference does it make to her compulsive little heart if you have a dental checkup? You're not an air traffic controller!
ReplyDeleteHere in the US, there would be no mystery at all about why I would go to the dentist before my last day of work because all of my insurance ends on my last day. Use it before you lose it!
ReplyDeleteYou're going to miss your boss so much. LOL!
ReplyDeleteBad A$$ Photo And My First Thought Was That You Were Underwater Shooting A Swimming Pool There Brother Man
ReplyDeleteWay Cool ,
Cheers