January is flying by in a bustle of work for both of us. The contract I had in December was extended a week, then another, and now I expect I'll be there at least halftime until the end of the month. I'm glad to have the work, but I had just finally settled into a routine of laziness that was working for me! Teaching up here continues to be tougher than I expected. It's not just that this demographic is not what I'm used to; there's a difference in how you have to teach when life can be this tough. There are some very sad stories that come out about these children. Anyone who has ever knocked how teaching as a career has never had to look a kid in the eye every day after hearing horrific stories of what their home life is like. Try hearing tales that make you physically ill, then spend every day making a safe space for that kid without ever really being able to acknowledge what they're going through. No matter how bad the tale, I'm still responsible for teaching reading and writing. I try not to get my back up too much when people start to slam my profession, but the sheer ignorance of what they say is galling. I don't care to talk about salaries, unions, benefits and pensions because those are part of why I chose teaching - I know they're good. I'd like them to stay that way! What drives me crazy is people who say this is easy. If it's easy, you aren't doing it right. It tears at your heartstrings, eats up your lunch hours and free time, makes you work and think hard about everything you do, and it's completely worth it. But it ain't easy. If I'm doing my job right, I'm exhausted but happy at the end of the day. I know I've done something meaningful with my time.
Mac n' cheese Mondays has taken a short hiatus while I debate the merits of eating healthier in the New Year. I don't like making resolutions, but my belly needs some respite after the richness of holiday indulgence. I did make a recipe from my Smitten Kitchen cookbook - Cheddar Swirl Breakfast Buns - which more than satisfied any craving I was having for carbs and cheese. I can't say enough good things about that cookbook - I read it like a book, over and over again. Today, I cooked a lobster for the first time. Despite my reservations, it was delicious and relatively easy to do. 'Pinchy' stymied me right before he went into the pot by becoming a kung fu master, but the internet quickly gave me the solution. After a five minute time-out in the freezer, Pinchy was sufficiently slow (and hopefully humanely stunned) and I got him into the pot without incident. My challenge for the next time I make lobster is to actually make a meal, not just cook a lobster and then eat it at the counter (which was where the mallet and cutting board were located to smash him to bits)
(Dinah investigates Pinchy)
When I started this blog, I never intended for it to become a journal of daily events. I hoped that it would be a way for me to tell tales of my new life to friends far away but I also hoped that maybe I'd tackle some more important issues. When I was in university, one of my favourite things was to talk about ideas and events with my friends (and I have some smart cookie friends, let me tell you!) Sadly, or maybe naturally, I don't seem to do that anymore. While I'm still up for a good debate most days, my life revolves more around the day-to-day minutiae that make up an ordinary life. I go grocery shopping. I go to work. I snuggle on the couch with my sweetie and watch too much Doctor Who. And life is good that way. Growing up, I struggled with the idea that my life had to be important, had to have meaning, had to create an impact. Now I realize that my life does do those things, just on a private and small scale. I'm learning to stop seeking attention and praise for doing fabulous things because it's exhausting to maintain. For now, I'm happy if dinner turned out well and I got my marking done on time. For tonight, I'll just have to be happy with dinner. The marking can wait.
