Conference

I've spent the better part of the last two days at a conference for educators on technology. The conference is being held at metro school. It is the largest high school I've ever been in. Four floors of classrooms, offices, hallways, and the like. I couldn't imagine being a student trying to navigate their way. They must have an army of custodians to maintain this place.

One of the most memorable moments from the past two days occurred when the organizer was thanking people who helped her including "people from North America and Canada."

Another happened during the end of the day drawings. Prizes valued in the thousands of dollars were given away. Controversy erupted on the second day of drawings when two of the winners from the previous day had their name drawn again. The organizers had not conceived this possibility and huddled before announcing those folks weren't eligible to win again.

So When Does School Start?

Signs of August are everywhere. The Carver County Fair has come and will go tonight (look for the sign with next year's dates to be posted tomorrow). The air is hot and muggy leading to torrential rain which increase the humidity and causes further torrential rains. And every casual conversation with every aquaintance always includes "So when does school start?"

I've discovered this month that it can be asked in many ways.

The Sincerely Curious: New to Minnesota. No contact with the public school world since graduating high school. These people are gatherers of information. This question is later followed up by: "So how do you dress for winter?"

The Slightly Annoyed Neighbor: Sick of seeing me stagger for the newspaper in the morning to see what day of the week it is as he drives to work, this questioner is a bit credulous that jobs like mine exist. He stews on the way to work and listens to Joe Soucheray on the way home.

Fellow Teacher: A solemn questioner. The end of August is a time of dread. Questioner and answerer speak forlornly about the brevity of 11 weeks. Unspoken between them is the promise of the first paycheck in three months (Sept 15th).


The Exasparated Parent That is a Teacher: This would be me. After two lovely months home with the family I can now see why some animals eat their young. There is a breaking point for me. There is more to life than refereeing sibling disputes and cleaning up messes. I need to get out and do something before I crack.