Things I am Not Supposed to Discuss but Will Anyway: Poop, Barf, and Gun-Toting Nutters

This week has been intense. Julia started with a virus last Saturday. She passed it to Luc who is now working his way through it. Eric and I both have it as of this morning. While it is in fact arduous to have a sick household, I am constantly grateful that it is respiratory and not stomach flu. Poop and barf are NOT my speciality.

That being said you will no doubt find it fascinating how many times someone has thrown up in my period five class this year. That would be 3 times! She made it to the trash can each time, God bless her, but still...I teach High School for Pete's sake. She has stomach problems, and the class is right after lunch, etcetera, etcetera, but it is just the perfect example of how this school year has been both ridiculous AND insane.
We were all over the news this week because of a Facebook threat by one of our students who expressed the intention of shooting us all the Tuesday after MLK day. Very peaceful indeed. Just like Jared Loughner, this young man is disturbed. However unlike Jared Loughner this young man is in my class. I am not supposed to discuss any of this by the way, as the case is still pending, so I will be leaving out many details. The most poignant part of all of this is that I had this student. I know this student. And I believe his threat to be legitimate based on my knowledge of this student. He is disturbed. He is unhappy. He is bullied and picked on because of this. That's all the attention I really want to give him.

What I want to focus on is the fact that two things happened this week after the threat: one, I got pissed off and haven't been able to let it go; and two, my "dancing with the faculty" team Won first place. "What the heck does one have to do with other" you may ask? " Well it is just the perfect contrast between students" I respond! This guy ticked me off with his threats towards my students, any one of which I would go out of my way to protect because in my eyes they are ALL somebodies babies. At the same time this fabulous group of Seniors got together a team of teachers to dance in front of a HUGE crowd and we won. With the Quick Step no less, which is basically just running your ass off for like three minutes. I would have done almost anything to win this contest for them, because I have had these kids in class for four years. They are hard working, wonderfully talented, kind, and deserving. I WANTED this for them. They deserved their medals, and the disturbed boy deserves more help than he is getting. And I deserve to not have to teach him because I do not have a PHD in psychology. And my deserving Seniors should not have to worry about getting shot when they go to school.

That is all I have to say.