The one where kids are cool...

See, this is the reason I love what I do...

So, all my seniors have gone off to the Bahamas on their senior trip. They're gone for a whole week (two extra planning periods every day! woohoo!) and are having a blast. When I got to work this morning, I saw that they had left me a little parting note* on my door, and they just called me - on their cell phones, from Florida as they board the cruise ship - to say hi. My students call me on their vacations - how fun is that?

Of course, I *was* hoping that the phone call would be from the pediatrician's office, getting back to me, and not from the kids, but I'll take what I can get...

Update: the pediatrician's office called and says that it sure sounds like hand, foot, and mouth disease (not to be confused with foot and mouth disease, better known as MAD COW!). I love the fact that they can diagnose my child via telephone, conveniently eliminating the need to actually look at my child's freakish mouth ulcers. Oh well... it's good enough for government work, I suppose. Anyway, if you google that like I did, you'll discover that it's a simple viral infection common in small children, usually caused by... say it with me now... the COXSACKIEVIRUS! (This only sounds funny if you say it out loud, preferably when no one is listening.) Anyway, she should develop a lovely rash on her hands and feet in the next 24 hours to go with this; meanwhile, we're supposed to push fluids and rest, and give Tylenol as needed for fever. And not to worry, only rarely does something like this end up causing, oh, say, VIRAL MENINGITIS!! But if she doesn't develop the rash, then it's probably thrush, which... well, who knows where she might have picked that up. All this in a five minute phone conversation. Grrr.

I usually like my pediatrician(s) just fine. They're always very helpful and willing to consult by phone over the silliest of new mother fears (me: There's no poop! Why isn't she pooping?! pediatrician: ma'am, do you poop every day? me: ummm...) and they're really quite good about scheduling and drop-ins. But frequently, my pediatrician can assume this condescending attitude toward me (she has, like, 245752542 children of her own, and therefore knows all, while I, with only this one baby, know nothing) that makes me feel silly for bothering her. She has actually told me to calm down, relax, and trust her - over the phone! I just want to make sure that the Bear is happy and healthy, and if that involves having the pediatrician call me while I'm out of state just to assure me that blue poop is not a cause for concern, then so be it. But she makes me feel very inadequate sometimes, and Ideally that's not what a good doctor-patient relationship should do. But I digress...

So, today must be the laziest day in the history of teaching. My two classes of juniors are in with the counselor all day, one of my classes of seniors (they of the notes and calls) are away on vacation, and 2/3 of my other senior class are also gone. That's 3 completely empty classes and one with only 3 girls who didn't go on the trip. These three girls came in today and petitioned first me, and then the principal, to go on a field trip to “the store” down the highway. If only you could see our setup here. “The store” is the only place of business in this town of <200 people, and it's a one-room shack that reeks of old grease and stale smoke. It's like Mecca for these people. So, to the store we went, on a pilgrimage, as it were. We stocked up on junk food, came back, and watched “The Princess Diaries,” which I will admit I think is kind of cute, if only because I like Julie Andrews. (Also, I find it ironic that the girl's name is Anne Hathaway - Shakespeare's wife!) Anyway, I'm officially avoiding my grading, but I *almost* miss my students. (Well, not the juniors...)

*The parting note, by the way, was part of a mission on their part to say the word I hate most in the world at least once a day until they graduate. It's a running joke, and they say they're planning to email me from college next year just to say this one word. The note on my door contained only this one word, and the purpose of the phone call was for them to hold the phone up and have everyone shout this one word. I have to admit, I admire their persistence. They're not doing it in a malicious way, so I don't mind the teasing.