[Miscellany]

In teacher-land the end of the year is always a bitch. There's a lot of stuff to do. Usually, I have my grade of little minions to do all my dirty work for me but being an art teacher means that I don't really have a grade to boss around so all the dirty work that needs to be done at the end of the year (cleaning, sorting, stacking, distributing) gets done by only one person - me. Not only do I feel like crap, as evidenced by my generally sad sack nature of late but after the last couple of days of full on cleaning I really look like crap too. We're talking paint on nose and hair sticking up on end - kind of crap. Nice.

On the plus side - I've spent less time wallowing and more time singing along to the Valley Girl soundtrack while I drag heavy boxes from one end of the AR to the other. I think I've pulled some kind of muscle in my back though because it hurts to walk at the moment - that can't be good.

Everyone has been in a typically mean mood at school. Teachers are stressed because there's a lot of stuff to clean up - if you start too early then parents start complaining that 'quality learning isn't happening' - but if you leave it too late then you're left with absolute chaos in your classroom right up until the end of school... Hence the moodiness of teachers. The specialist teachers however are less stressed about it all - because we've had the last two days to ourselves without classes (thank god).

M (the PE teacher) and I have been having many heart to hearts lately - this is mostly because she's noticed that I've been a bit withdrawn lately. She's really a wonderful person and I adore her - but she also happens to be my exact opposite (she is peppy, lovely and always excited and positive about life and dancing in the corridors (literally) - while I am cynical, inquisitive and thoughtful). We seem to compliment each other quite well though because even though we are different we both share the common bond of freakdom. Yes, we are both quirky and silly in our own different ways - and to celebrate this we are planning on catching up in the holidays to see an anime exhibition at the gallery and other assorted stuff.

We have completely different approaches to things though and mainly this boils down to religion. Now I grew up in a hardcore religious household - while my father wasn't too fussed about it - my mother has always been God's cheerleader. In the Catholic church God's cheerleaders are less "rah rah sis boom bah" and more "the hand of God will strike you down to hell if you touch yourself in the sad place". I must be going to hell but at least my sad place is actually quite happy, thanks.

M, however isn't a catholic - she is a pentecostal. I think the pentecostal is the arch enemy of my personality. I'm not really a religious person but if I was I'd be more your sit around and contemplate the world type person - not really a cheerleader for Jesus - though it does sort of fascinate me. So when M invited me to her church I laughed and told her that I would go crazy in her church and want to kill everyone and um, thanks but no thanks. Then I said that Jesus only loves the little children anyway so neh (I can't resist, sorry). She laughed her head off and denied that totally, but do you think I went too far with the "neh" bit? Do you get offended when people make jokes about God? I'm always making fun of God - is it that big a deal? I actually don't try to offend people in a serious manner or anything.

I don't think her religion is going to get in the way of our friendship except if she starts thinking that I'm in need of saving and pushing that on me (I doubt that though). Has anyone ever had that happen with a friend?

Labels: friends, God, school

posted by M at 6:58 pm 31 comments