Pages

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Is it bedtime yet?

I am pretty exhausted. Last night, Tyson left for his redeye to Virginia at 11:30, so we spent all last night packing, doing laundry, doing dishes, making cookies (for him to take on the plane and for me to console myself with during "Lonely Single Parent Week"), hemming pants (you know you've arrived when you buy fancy pants and have to hem them yourself), and gathering various electronic equipment. I got home after 10, was at school this morning at 6:15 to have a student make up a test, and stayed after for a meeting that ran until 3:15. Now I'm home, but I still haven't made the phone calls on my to-do list--a doctor's appointment, an ortho appointment to replace the retainer lost this weekend, a call to warranty services to have the heating element in my electric smoker replaced, and a hair appointment for my incredibly two-toned hair. I am just too tired.

Frankly all the "hashing out" at my after school meeting just took it all out of me. Collaboration is a lot of work, especially when I have to try very hard, like I did today, not to have to be the boss of everyone. Sometimes I just really think I have great ideas and everyone else should have them too. Because we're making commitments to team-teach next year, I wrote on my "wish list" today that it would be a good idea to pair me with someone who is cool with following directions and letting me steer the ship, or else someone who will stand up for themselves and be prepared to defend and take charge of their ideas, but my idea of collaboration isn't getting together and saying "well, we could do this....but there's also this....so let's talk about this some more and decide in a few days." I definitely need to know somebody is driving, even if it's not me. And I certainly can't have someone who will go along but do things half-assed because, hey, it's not their idea and they didn't really think it was a good one to begin with and just never said anything.

So I am pretty much done with thinking for the day. I will be watching TV and reading a book tonight, because I am sure as hell not going to be writing the Great Expectations Chapter 4 Reading Quiz that I can just as easily put off until my prep tomorrow.

2 comments:

Tyson said...

Your cookies were awesome!

k said...

I know just how you feel. I hate those weak-ass meetings with people whom don't want to follow, don't want to lead, and just plain don't want to do anything but flap their jaws about what they might do, after they think about it, and have another meeting. Ugh!