Phantom Cramp

Thursday. Eighth grade English. 

I had covered this about a month ago (and I have covered Ms. R's class many, many times), so I knew what I was in for. I also knew that her co-teacher was going to be out. The night before I made a silly wish. "Wouldn't it be great if Ms. S was subbing for the co-teacher?" 

Guess who ended up subbing for the co-teacher? 

It made for a way easier day. 

Third period. The class had just finished their warm up, and I explained their assignment. They had chosen a story or article the previous week (there were a limited number of choices, but they did get to pick amongst them), and Ms. S and I had passed out the stories to the students. They were to annotate the story they picked, and then they'd have questions to answer about them. 

While they were getting started on the assignment, Russell "fell" out of his chair. He was lying on the ground, not moving, just lying there. 

Ms. S and I conferred. She remarked that Russell should probably be kicked out of class. I concurred. Having known Russell from the art class, I knew that his behavior wasn't going to improve. This was the perfect excuse to send him out. 

Ms. S called another classroom to find him a spot. Russell complained. "But I have a cramp!"

Uh huh. Sure you do. 

Ms. S escorted Russell away. And when she returned, neither of us had to deal with his shenanigans for the rest of the period. Bliss.

Did this scare the rest of the class? Of course not. But at least they mostly read quietly. 

I do not kick students out often enough. There's a part of me that wants to give them one more chance. Maybe they'll actually "be good", which is what they always promise when I go to assign a consequence. The thing is, they never do. They just get worse. 

Rage Bait

Wednesday. Middle school graphic arts. Fourth period. 

"Five times five isn't ten. Are you stupid?" 

Class was getting started. I had explained the lesson (something to do with a honeycomb-shaped outline that they were to fill in with things about themselves), and they were getting out the materials they'd need. I approached the boys. (If you look at the above photo, the boys were sitting at that front corner, Nigel on the end and Nolan along the longer edge.) 

I agreed with Nolan, that five times five didn't equal ten, but I told Nolan that his tone wasn't appropriate. 

At this point the other kiddos (along the other side of the table) informed me that Nolan and Nigel weren't allowed to sit next to each other as they liked to rage bait each other. (Yes, that was the term they used: "rage bait".) So, I told Nolan to move, and he moved to the opposite end of that table.

Did that end the issue? Of course not.

Nolan kept finding reasons that he had to get up. He needed colored pencils. He needed to sharpen a pencil. He needed to throw out trash. He needed to blow his nose.

And every time he got up, he walked by Nigel. And then did something to Nigel. Like, he went to turn off his computer, or he shoved him, or he just said something to him. 

They rage baited each other? It seemed more like Nolan was bullying Nigel. 

I forbade Nolan from getting up. Nolan created a paper airplane and threw it at Nigel. Then he commanded Nigel to open it.

I retrieved the paper airplane and left if for their teacher. (Nigel saw what Nolan wrote. It was a homophobic slur.) 

I was so happy for the end of the period. As they lined up at the door, Nolan took another swipe. 

"Pink isn't a color for boys..."

Ah, this I could refute. I explained how pink used to be considered a more masculine color, and that really, there is no gender with regards to color. 

Nolan took my point, and then he tried for another avenue of attack. 

But that's when the bell rang, and it was no longer my problem. 

Kids at that age can be awful. That the other students knew of this tells me it's an ongoing problem. Why Nolan's so angry... I have no idea.

Time to Buy a Whistle

ICE has invaded North Carolina. Charlotte. Because of course. 

One thing I've seen is people are getting whistles. The idea is if someone sees the kidnappers approach someone, you blow your whistle and get loud. Draw a crowd. Make it hard for the kidnappers to kidnap. The longer each kidnapping takes, the fewer people they can get. 

@tiredderit.bsky.social @jesscraven101.bsky.social

[image or embed]

— Long Beach Indivisible (@indivisiblelb.bsky.social) November 16, 2025 at 4:55 PM

You may notice a theme to the articles I'm linking to: 

A New Kind of Neighborhood Watch: Sonoma County’s ‘Adopt a Corner’ program aims to protect undocumented day laborers from ICE.

What We Can Do About ICE: ICE is in the Bay Area. And yes, we can all do something about it.

It's a game of strategies. Border Patrol takes a new approach, and rapid responders adapt. This time, the responders are backing each other up. The target was in Santa Ana, where Border Patrol focused their attention on the elderly at bus stops, grocery stores, and one with a cane.

Then They Came for the Dreamers: Immigrants brought here as children were told they wouldn’t be deported. Now, they’re being targeted anyway.

I Study Fascism. I’ve Already Fled America.

Then I saw this, and I had to share:

It is dark times. We need to be each other's light.

Almost to the Interesting Part

The instructions for the front of the sweater say knit even for 24.5 inches:

I'm almost there. For the back, I had to knit a bit more...

Why the difference? Neck shaping. In about 3.5 inches I get to start shaping the neck. No armhole shaping as this is a drop shoulder sleeve. 

Things are coming along. The solo image of where I'm at:

I'm getting there. 

Sweater Tracking:

• Starting the Sweater
• Getting to the Back
• Missed Deadline
• Distractions from Knitting
• A Month Late
• Inching Along
• Tracking the Growth
• Weekly Sweater Update
• Moving Right Along
• Good Progress

Glitchy

Friday. Seventh period. Integrated math 1. (Read: algebra 1.) 

The plan was for them to do their study guide for a half hour, then I'd go over those answers, and then they'd take their test. While they were working on their study guide, I texted the teacher with the names of all the students (nine of them!) who were absent. 

No one had any questions about the study guide. So, then it was time to start the test. I collected their work, and they went to get computers. 

The test was online. 

Dr. R wanted the names of those absent so she only had open tests for those students who were in class. (Absent students could access the test from computers at home, but at home we couldn't guarantee the students weren't using notes or their phones or someone else was doing the test for them.) 

Once they got logged in, a student called me over. Her test was paused. It turned out she was on my absent list. (Which, seriously? I called out the roll. Was she not paying attention when I called her name?) So, I texted Dr. R to open her test. 

Whew. Class was quiet. Phones were put away. Things were going well... 

Sterling approached. His test had been paused. He showed me that when he tried to input a plus sign, he instead got a new screen. And because it was a test, the computer only allowed one screen and one tab open while the test was being done. 

I texted Dr. R. Sterling continued working on his test... 

A few minutes later, another problem. Sterling wanted to backspace to fix something he had mistyped, only backspace wasn't working. Deep sigh. 

I had Sterling get another computer. Clearly the one he had was glitching (or he hit something that was disrupting things), and I wasn't going to be able to fix it. So, I had to text Dr. R one more time... 

It was after school when I saw her final response. That she had opened Sterling's test twice. (I got busy with class stuff so I wasn't looking at my phone.) 

I made sure to send along an explanation for what happened. Tech issues. Always gets us. 

This is one reason why the math teachers don't usually give tests while they're out. (Well, those teachers who do the online tests. Some teachers still do tests on paper.) 

Not Seeking Help

Wednesday. Seventh grade English, special ed. 

A couple of the students had to finish their district writing assessment. The rest had a grammar packet to work on. 

I had been warned that the class could be "chatty". Most days that's not a big deal, but the students who still had to finish their writing assessment needed a quiet room. Luckily, I had an instructional aide who knew the kiddos and was able to call them out when they wouldn't settle. 

But seventh graders. 

Mostly the room was calm. But then Dante started talking to his neighbor Garfield. Not loudly, but it was distracting enough. So, I meandered over there. 

I stood between Dante and Garfield. Hovering. Dante looked up at me. And asked me a question. About the assignment. He was stuck. 

Okay, then. That's something I can help with. 

I answered Dante's question. I helped him enough so that he could continue on with the assignment. I went back to the teacher's desk. 

A few minutes later Dante's talking again. Again, I meandered over. And again, it turned out that Dante was stuck. 

By the third time I asked Dante why he didn't just raise his hand to ask for help, rather than turning to his neighbor. (They were not discussing the assignment. The energy of the conversation was playing, not academic.) Dante replied that he thought that if he contemplated the question enough, he could figure it out. 

Well, clearly not. Clearly when he got stuck, he distracted himself with talking to his neighbor. 

This is not unusual. Nowadays, kiddos rarely raise their hands. They rarely ask for help. Unless I'm standing there. If I'm in front of them, they'll take that opportunity to ask a question. But they won't seek me out if they're stuck. They'll stay stuck. 

I'm not sure why this is. But it's something I can work with. 

Catching Assignments

I like to be booked in advance. But last week that did not happen. When I left school on Friday, I had nothing scheduled for Monday or Tuesday. 

Saturday evening, something popped up for Monday. Whew. I wouldn't have to spend Sunday waiting and wondering. 

And then Sunday afternoon that assignment was cancelled. (The teacher sent an email apologizing for cancelling. I assume whatever reason she was going to have to miss school resolved itself.) 😞

I tried to be happy about the prospect for a day off. (There was going to be a little construction in the house, so I wanted to be away from home for that.) I went to bed planning what I would do with my day off. 

Then, at about 5AM-ish, a job popped up. Whew. 

All day Monday I kept my phone and computer open. Hoping for Tuesday. 

(Monday's assignment was an English class. The tenth graders were doing prelim work before reading Animal Farm while the ninth graders were analyzing the poem "Ozymandias".) 

And a couple assignments did pop up. Sadly, they popped up while I was doing my job. 😞

(If I don't grab the assignment when it pops up, it's gone. One of them I saw four minutes after it posted. I tried to grab it. It was gone.) 

Tuesday wasn't going to be a problem being off, though. No work planned in the house. 

But, at about 7:30 PM, something for Tuesday popped up. Whew. And this one didn't get cancelled. Again, whew. 

(AP Economics. The kiddos were prepping for a test. But we had technical difficulties with the computers not letting them get logged in. Well, only about a third of the class.  But seniors. In advanced placement. They weren't a problem.) 

The rest of the week was booked. As is this week. So, after Tuesday I could relax a bit. 

Now, as for next week... 

It's Happening Again

I have about five different ideas about where to start today. It's hard to narrow it down. But if I think about the one thing that bothers me the most about *gestures to everything*, it's the ICE raids. And the concentration camps. 

This story was shared on BlueSky. This link takes you to the posts on BlueSky. Here's a taste of it:

They are committing atrocities. 

Article: Lawsuit Alleges Inhumane Conditions at Broadview ICE Facility 

And that's just Chicago. The same thing is happening in Los Angeles. And all over the country. 

Good Progress

...if I do say so myself.

The bulky yarn helps, as does just knitting a couple rows a night. I didn't get to knit every night, but I'm knitting more now that things have cooled off a bit. 

I did not get around to figuring out how to create a video of the progress. It's one of those things that I'm going to have to have the headspace for before I attempt, and then it'll probably take me way less time than I anticipate. 

While I work on this sweater, I have to think realistically about the requests I got in July for Christmas. 

I have officially given up on knitting the twins anything for Christmas this year. They requested Minecraft sweaters. As I know little about Minecraft, I went in search of patterns. I could not find anything. I found some sweaters, but no pattern for them. I found patterns for Minecraft critters, but those I'd have to adapt somehow, and I really don't have the time, especially considering how far along I'm on this sweater for their big brother. 

So, I bought them Minecraft sweaters. Well, sweatshirts. One wanted just a green Minecraft sweater and one wanted an ugly Christmas Minecraft sweater. If I have any time, I did find a pattern for a Minecraft beanie. But it's more likely that I'll have time in January or February for that. 

Kinda a fail, but at least I've managed to make something for two of the four nephews. 

Sweater Tracking:

• Starting the Sweater
• Getting to the Back
• Missed Deadline
• Distractions from Knitting
• A Month Late
• Inching Along
• Tracking the Growth
• Weekly Sweater Update
• Moving Right Along

Their Instructions

Friday. Halloween. Seventh grade science...

(If anyone recalls how I started last school year--long term for a maternity leave for a seventh grade science teacher--this room might look familiar. Yup, this is Ms. S's class, the class I covered last August/September.)

Because Halloween, Ms. S left a movie. Wall-E. Since the classes are 90 minutes long (block schedule), the kiddos started with a vocab assignment. 

The definitions were written on the white board. Then they were to illustrate the terms and use the terms in a sentence. They've done this before. Several wanted computers to look up images, but Ms. S said no computers. 

(I covered the class about a month ago, and I severely limited computer access per instructions. Those students who managed to find a good enough excuse to get permission to use a computer proved why no computers was the better way to go.) 

It was time to start the movie. But, while many of them had finished the assignment, many still had not completed copying the definitions of the terms. I warned them that I was going to pull down the screen, so they had only a couple minutes left for that task. 

Ms. S had left the movie on DVD and had that hooked up to her projector. 

The projectors were new technology a short time ago. They have been supplanted by the big TVs, but some teachers prefer the projectors. And in some cases those work better for some applications. 

I had not had a chance to test the equipment, but unlike with yesterday's post, I was sure this DVD player actually worked. But I wanted to have everything ready to go before I told a class of seventh graders that we were starting the movie. 

I turned on the projector. Then I turned on the DVD player. It immediately went into starting the movie... 

"You have to pull down the screen." 

"Turn out the lights." 

"I can't see the movie."

"Six seven..."

"We passed this part already." 

I didn't respond as they all shouted out instructions. Because really? I had it. Everything was working. And I was still waiting on one or two students to finish copying down the definitions before I pulled down the screen. 

So, I waited. I haven't quite figured out how to shame them into calming down. I can't compete with them all shouting instructions at me. But if I say nothing, they seem to think that I'm not hearing them or I don't understand what they're telling me. 

Eventually I was ready to get it all started. I explained that we were about ready to go, and that's when I pulled down the screen and fast forwarded to about the 20 minute mark (which was where Ms. S said they left off). 

That age just loves to explain things. They make sure the sub knows how things are supposed to go. Even though this sub did know what needed doing. 

As far as Halloweens go, this one was relatively sedate. 

Some previous Halloweens: 

• Bubble Gum Physics
• How to Address a Postcard
• A Gig on Halloween

Old Broken Technology

In February, I took a long term gig covering a class that had lost its teacher at the semester. It was a mad scramble. 

At that time, the library was clearing out its old technology. They were throwing out all their old DVD players as most teachers now stream video to their big TVs or have the kiddos watch things on their Chromebooks. The aide for the class snagged one of those DVD players and left it for the classroom. 

At no point did we ever use that DVD player. 

Wednesday. Freshman math, special ed. 

New teacher, but familiar classroom. Mr. R arrived, admitting that he had forgotten he was out of class, so his lesson plan was kind of thrown together. The kiddos had a couple worksheets, and then they could watch a video. (He left three choices.) That DVD player, that Ms. S acquired in February was connected to the TV. 

We got through the worksheets and "Good Things". (Every day they do a thing where the kiddos talk about one good thing in their lives.) And then it was time to watch the movie. I let the kiddos pick which one, and I went to start the DVD player...

Only it wasn't plugged into the wall. We searched for an extension cord... 

I turned on the player, put the DVD in, but the TV wasn't getting a signal. I switched out the cable. Nothing. I tried a few other fixes. Again, nothing. 

I grabbed a Chromebook, figuring I could stream the movie. Only, the Chromebook didn't have a spot to plug in the HDMI cable to plug into the TV. 

Finally, after a good half hour of troubleshooting, I cast the Chromebook to the TV. Only, the picture worked, but the sound did not. Sigh. (The sound worked from the Chromebook, so I turned that up as high as it would go.)

For the next class, the aide called a neighbor teacher who is tech savvy to see if she could figure out the problem. She plugged in a different DVD player... and that worked. (Well, the drawer for the DVD wouldn't open, but the TV got a signal from the DVD player.) 

So, the DVD player, that Ms. S "rescued" from being thrown out, didn't work. Sigh. 

If only Mr. R had tested the thing before setting that as the lesson plan... 

Unremarkable

In two weeks I'm going to have no memory of this class...

That was the thought I had as I checked out and got in my car and left school on Monday. 

Spanish I. The students had a list of assignments to complete, all in Google Classroom. I rattled off what they needed to do, double checked that the assignment was indeed posted in Google Classroom, took roll, and then settled in for the periods. 

It was before Halloween, so they had a sugar skull assignment as well. There were markers and glitter and glue near me. Some students (after completing the online stuff) came up and got materials they needed. They carefully applied glitter to their papers. No mess. (Well, I'm sure some glitter escaped containment, but not to any extent that I needed to worry about.) 

I bring along stuff to do for days like this. I read blogs. I keep an eye out for students doing stupid things, but these kiddos mostly just took care of what they needed to take care of. 

As I left, I realized that nothing terribly interesting happened all day. 

These classes don't generally make the blog, but it was the kind of week where there were a bunch of unremarkable classes. It's a great thing for me, but it's terrible for blog content. 

And, if I come across this post in the years to come, I will realize how true it was. I will have basically no memory of this class or this day. 

Election Day

It's election day. In an odd year. All that we have on the ballot is Proposition 50. You might have heard of it. 

Since we in California have mail in ballots, I voted ages ago. As soon as the ballot arrived in the mail. As there was only one thing on the ballot, I didn't have a lot of research to do. 

Pay attention to the redistricting going on. It started in Texas (I think). Now it's hit North Carolina among other places. This is cheating. We're only supposed to redistrict after a census. 2025 doesn't end in a zero. This was not a census year. 

But, it's all cheating. So much of what they're doing is illegal. Or even if it's just against norms, they're still not caring. They're doing it all, and no one is stopping them. 

Will this stop them? Probably not. But we must keep throwing sand in the wheels of oppression. It's not much, but it's something. 

This week I'll leave you with a video. American Fascism is disguised as MAGA Christianity. The site explains what the video is about, if you're in the mood. 

Moving Right Along

Where I'm at this week: 

It seems like every week I bemoan my lack of progress, but a funny thing happened when I started to put this post together. In the file of my yarny images, the last three weeks' pics were lined up, and I could really see how much the sweater had grown. 

I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I could reproduce that here on the blog? So, I looked up HTML, and I played around with it, and, well, I couldn't get it to work. I mean, I probably could, if I wanted to sink more time into figuring it out. Which, I don't. 

I could probably turn it into a video. Maybe next week? 

Anyway, progress has been made. And I even wound in the ends. Moving right along...

Sweater Tracking:

• Starting the Sweater
• Getting to the Back
• Missed Deadline
• Distractions from Knitting
• A Month Late
• Inching Along
• Tracking the Growth
• Weekly Sweater Update

The Swap

I arrived to school on Friday, and the co-teacher began by asking if I wouldn't mind... 

Eighth grade math. They were to have a test the following week, but both the general ed and the special ed teacher had been out the previous class (for a meeting for the whole math department), and things hadn't gone so well with that sub. Although, as soon as she asked it, I remembered her asking me the same thing the last time I covered the class, last school year. 

Ms. W asked if we could swap. She'd teach Ms. S's classes (the classes that weren't co-taught but were doing the exact same thing as the co-taught ones), and I'd cover her classes. (One period of learning center, and one period of success.) 

I've always been rather flexible with work. I've had days where I came in expecting to sub for one teacher but was switched to another class for reasons. The previous week the secretary had emailed me asking if I was willing to swap gigs. Sometimes it turns out I'm covering one teacher for half a day and another teacher for the other half. My job is to fill in for absent teachers, and I'm perfectly okay with going where they need me to fill in. 

And besides, this was a way easier day than the one I'd been expecting. 

Although, it meant I didn't have a "home base" at all. Four different rooms. (Well, three, but I was also asked to cover an extra period that day.) 

But that's a minor issue when I can go where I'll do the most good that day. It's way better to have the teacher who knows the material and is familiar with the test making sure the kiddos are ready rather than insisting on following the classes I was assigned for the day. 

It's one reason why I enjoy subbing. The variety. 

One Small Detail

Wednesday. Seventh period success, eighth grade. 

Success is about teaching the kiddos study skills. There's some social/emotional stuff as well. (I've talked about covering this type of class before.) 

The class was across the way and a couple doors down from the art class. There were some familiar faces. And I knew what I was in for. But the teacher, while small, is mighty, so I wasn't anticipating any issues... 

They had an assignment online. I had them log in. They found the assignment, only the assignment didn't contain any assignment. 

That is, the assignment existed, but the teacher had forgotten to attach the slides that the students needed to do the assignment. 

It was a good-sized class. Full. And these sorts of students don't take to waiting too well. Let's just say they came in loud and not having something to focus on meant that instead of settling down, they got louder. 

I don't like to bother teachers when they're out, but this was a time when I was glad the teacher had left her cell phone number. I texted her... 

Before I went to text her, I had told the kiddos to work on missing assignments. Were they? Of course not. They were treating the time like free time, with half the kiddos sitting on the floor, and others were roaming around, getting into mischief. Sigh. 

Eventually, we got me logged into her account, and I was able to upload the slides to the assignment. Whew? Well, not so fast. 

Usually, when we assign the kiddos something, we "make a copy for each student" so they can edit the files. They each do their work and submit. But (something I learned the hard way a couple years ago) you can't give each student a copy when you attach something to an assignment already assigned. You can only do this when the assignment is being created. 

But earlier in the week (or was it last week? it's all starting to run together) I covered a class where they made their own copies of an assignment and attached it. So, I went to talk the class through what they had to do. 

As I explained, I got a couple good questions, so those who were following along were able to get the assignment to work. But after I got them started, I got more questions... 

Some students were able to get this to work. Others needed me to walk them through it. Individually. Sigh. 

Eventually I got to every student who couldn't figure it out on their own. Or, at least the ones who were asking. So, hopefully, they were able to complete it. 

Technology. Makes some things easier, makes other things harder. 

At least I knew enough to take away the excuse that they were unable to do the work. 

Six Seven

Six is sharp, said quickly, intonation ascending. Seven is said more on a sigh, with the "sev" drawn out. While there is no wrong way to "six seven", there is a general consensus as to how it should sound. 

I first mentioned this whole thing two and half weeks ago. Since then, it's exploded. It wasn't even a week after that post that I first saw it on Inside Edition or some similar show. And, as I explained to my roommates, they didn't even scratch the surface. 

The problem is middle schoolers are so impressionable, and they will mimic and repeat ad infinitum anything that catches their ears. (They will sing commercial jingles. I have a particular memory of the "five dollar footlong" ad being repeated by one seventh grader years ago. He would not stop, just sang it over and over and over again.) 

Every. Day. Every. Hour. It's pretty constant now. 

As far as fads go, this one is fairly harmless. Just irritating. Because at this point it's ubiquitous. If I'm around middle schoolers, I'm going to hear it. (I hear it with high schoolers too, but not to the same degree.) 

So, now it's become don't-set-them-off. I was calling for kiddos to return their computers, and I deliberately counted down. Although, calling, "eight, seven, six..." had the same effect. Just uttering "seven" with regards to something will do it. (No one is saying "six" for any reason anymore.) 

The last couple days I've started singing "5309" at them. (If you know, you know.) They don't hear me, but I like it. 

It's just a matter of getting through. Because, something that exploded this hard this fast? It's going to die just as quickly. 

Right? It's going to die? Soon? 

Please tell me it's going to die soon. 

I'm so done with this. 

Let Them Eat Ballroom*

*Phrase borrowed from ‪@ecmclaughlin.bsky.social‬

The federal government has been shut down almost a month now. They couldn't get a funding bill passed. This one is personal to me, because at issue is subsidies for health insurance. Without them, my insurance premiums will double next year. Yeah, double. I got notification this week. 

There are others whose premiums will go up way more than mine. And mine is not insignificant. 

Inflation is ridiculous right now. Groceries have gotten way expensive. As has everything else. All while the current regime is kidnapping people and sending them to concentration camps. And sending troops into peaceful cities because the cities oppose the dictator. 

They have money to do that, but they don't, apparently, have money to fund SNAP. So, as of November 1st, those who need those benefits to eat won't. 

People are going to starve. Because the regime wants to give billionaires tax breaks. 

But they have money to tear down the White House. 

Make it make sense. 

(It makes sense. They want poor people to die. I don't know what that gains them, though. If there are no poor people, who do they have to do their grunt work?)

Weekly Sweater Update

I once again had a week where I felt like I didn't get much knitting accomplished. Here's where the sweater is now:

If you see all the strands of yarn hanging off, those are from knots I found in the ball of yarn. I cut them out, and I'll wind in those ends eventually. The ends on the side of the work are where the first ball of yarn ran out and I joined a second. So, things are coming along. 

It feels like I haven't done much, but last week I was here: 

I gained a couple inches, anyway. 

Sweater Tracking:

• Starting the Sweater
• Getting to the Back
• Missed Deadline
• Distractions from Knitting
• A Month Late
• Inching Along
• Tracking the Growth

Keeping Up with the Cool Boys

Friday. Sixth period seventh grade science. 

They had an assignment on geology. It was done in stations. That is, the class had three different activities to complete with a third of the class doing each activity. I timed them, having them move on to the next activity after 15-20 minutes had elapsed. (I was familiar with the assignment as it was the last thing I did with seventh grade science class last year as I finished up my 30 days.) 

Because Ms. W said it didn't matter who was in which group, I asked for volunteers to start the rock measuring station. (There were rocks that they were to "observe". They had to draw them, use a ruler to measure them, weigh them, and roll them.) Of course, the boys who volunteered... 

Yeah, so it didn't go well. The boys played around. They should have been measuring rocks. They were making jokes. (Not that you can't joke and work, but seventh graders. They can do one or the other, not both.) They were running. They were mock fighting. You know, the usual. 

I reminded them they had limited time. And when the timer went off, I told them it was time to move on to station two. 

But no. They weren't finished... 

Yeah, they weren't finished. Not shocked. But that was their fault for wasting time. 

I stood over them and shooed them back to their seats. Time. Was. Up. 

Hugo wasn't happy. Hugo had been trying to work, but the other boys... It's hard to work in that kind of chaos. I was sorry, but time was up. I told Hugo that he had to go back to his seat. He burst into tears.

Hugo pulled it together and went back to his seat. As did the other boys. I got a new group to the observing rocks station (a much calmer group), and we moved on. 

What I had forgotten was that Hugo had a one-to-one aide. Before going on his lunch break, he told me that if something went wrong, I was to send Hugo to his case carrier. Which I didn't do, because forgot. (There was lots going on. I am not shocked I forgot.) 

When the aide returned from his lunch, he asked how things had gone. And I told him. 

The aide proceeded to take the rest of the period to get reports from the other students as to what went down. Sigh. Apparently, Hugo's meltdown was a level 1, which was good, as Hugo has been known to lash out when he gets upset... 

I guess I dodged a bullet. 

Of course I let Ms. W know what went down. Her response was that Hugo "wants to work with the 'cool boys' but does not actually handle the chaos very well". 

Those are the "cool boys"? Yikes. Seventh graders really have terrible taste. 

Feels Like January

It rained on Tuesday. 

Things had been cooling off for the last couple weeks. And the weather reports had warned us of rain. I had put an umbrella in my car the night before, and I was not shocked to wake up to water falling from the sky. 

Rainy days are an absolute mess at school. There's no real protection from the rain when the kiddos are changing classes or at lunch. And things flood. 

But we muddle through. Sopping wet. At least I had high school, so they weren't deliberately jumping in puddles. 

Some were disappointed that the rain let up in the afternoon. They were hoping practice would be cancelled. But, considering how hard it had rained, I pointed out that the fields were probably unsafe to practice on. 

We don't usually get rain this time of year. Rain is more a December, January kind of thing. Usually this time of year it's pretty warm and the Santa Anas blow through. We worry about wildfires. 

The next day it hadn't quite warmed up. Things were still damp. 

As the class was getting ready to exit, one of the students, complaining of the cold, commented, "It feels like January". 

I mean, it wasn't quite that cold, but I understood what she meant. 

The weather is a bit off. But not really in a bad way. I had to put my blanket on my bed and dig out my long pants. SoCal winter is coming.

One AM

I went to bed last Sunday night figuring I wasn't working Monday. I hadn't managed to pick up an assignment. (I had just missed a couple. Sigh.) 

I had worked myself into looking forward to a day off. I went to bed a bit late. But I was totally asleep when the alert on my phone woke me with a job for Monday. I grabbed it without looking at it too closely. It was one AM. 

I was covering a special ed teacher who co-taught with three different teachers. Not a bad gig. (Block schedule, so I only had three classes.) 

The first block I had integrated math 1 (think: algebra 1). It turned out the general ed teacher was also out. After a bit of a scramble (as the general ed teacher had assumed Mr. R would be there), another teacher got the lesson loaded to Google Classroom, and we were good to go. 

The class... 

The other sub was competent. She took roll while I got the class going on what they needed to work on. The kiddos were very laid back which was fine. But, they were not following certain rules, like having their cell phones put away and like actually doing their assignment. Sigh. 

But things came to a head when three students "returned" from somewhere. We had been keeping track of who was allowed out of class, and the three of them hadn't been allowed out of class. (How we missed them leaving, I have no idea.) 

The other sub asked the kiddos their names. And one of them lied to her about it. That's when we learned that this girl was not enrolled in the class. Deep sigh. 

She was incensed that the other sub called security on her. She claimed that she had only just been taken out of the class... (Which poses a couple questions: If she knew she was in a different class, why would she go to her old one? When the other sub called roll, why did she not say anything when her name was not called? Why was she roaming campus, anyway?) 

The student acted like the aggrieved party, but security agreed with us. Because, seriously? Doubling down when you're in the wrong? 

When Mr. R responded to my email about the day, he commented that the class was very immature. Yeah, we caught that. 

The rest of my day was uneventful as the general ed teachers were there and taught their lessons. 

I don't really mind the one AM calls. It gives me time to go back to sleep before I have to go to work. 

Speak Now

I've lost some blog followers. I see their blogs, but they no longer come and visit me. And I know why. But it still stings, you know?

People want to be "non political". But we are in that moment. You know the one? Where silence is siding with the oppressor. 

My blog is not about politics. And if I wanted to read blogs about politics, I could find many where I could do so. If you wanted to read about politics, you wouldn't be here. I write about my knitting on Mondays and my job Wednesday through Friday. 

But I can't not say something. We are in that moment. This past weekend was the second No Kings protest, and it appears that lots of people turned out. Good. 

Things are bad. They're getting worse. 

And I hear people talking about not letting a difference in politics ruin relationships. 

But, you see, if you're siding with the oppressor, we have a fundamental difference in core values. If none of what they have done thus far bothers you, I have to question what sort of person you are. Concentration camps are okay? Masked kidnapping is okay? Bombing innocent fishermen is okay? Sending troops into cities is okay? 

Make no mistake, they're all criminals. The regime. And even though the media seems to be sane-washing him, he's making less and less sense. Those around him are doing the harm they want because they know how to make him believe them. He's a puppet for those with brains in their heads and cruelty in their hearts. 

This week I was reminded of the poem "First They Came". The poem resonates as the man who wrote it lived it. He didn't care about the people they came for first. He was all in with that regime. Until he was the one targeted. 

And, make no mistake, they will come for you, too. If you aren't white, male, and rich, they don't care about you. They will use you to further their ends (and keep power) until they no longer need you. 

So, I resist now. And I speak. 

We are not alone. More of us are disgusted by this than support it. 

Too many people don't realize how bad things truly are. They turn blind eyes to it. It hasn't touched them yet. It will.

So, while I am sad for those that no longer visit, I have to understand that they're supporting things that I vehemently oppose. Which makes me happy that you're still here. We agree. And we can fight together. 

Tracking the Growth

I actually made some progress this week. That's what happens when I'm no longer having to lesson plan and grade. And my subbing gigs aren't too taxing. 

In case you'd like to see the progress. October 6th:

October 13th: 

October 20th: 

So, progress. I'm hoping this week will be like last and I can knit more during the week rather than just on the weekend. We'll see. 

How are your projects coming along?

Sweater Tracking:

• Starting the Sweater
• Getting to the Back
• Missed Deadline
• Distractions from Knitting
• A Month Late
• Inching Along

Spitting Image

Friday had been a minimum day (end of the first quarter). Ms. S and I checked out at the same time, and we were outside, chatting. (Ms. S is another sub who I see around all the time and I've worked with her before.) 

We both had a last period prep, so school wasn't quite over. Students were standing outside waiting for rides. (Some students get out early.) We were comparing notes on various assignments. It turned out that the next week we'd be subbing for two co-teachers. 

As we were talking, a mother walked past us. She looked so familiar to me. She nodded as she passed, but we didn't say anything to her, just continuing our conversation. 

A few minutes later, the woman passed by again, going the other way. This time she had a student in tow. A girl I recognized as she had been in the class I covered that day. 

Ms. S: "No wonder she looked so familiar..." 

I didn't realize until that moment that Ms. S recognized her too. I commented that the girl had been in my class. 

Why did she look so familiar? Her daughter looks just like her. 

No Return

Wednesday. Eighth grade English, seventh period. 

When I left the art class, I didn't say "goodbye" to them. I said, "see you around". I explained that while I might be leaving the art class, I was still a district sub, and I would most definitely see them in other classes. I wasn't surprised to see many familiar faces in Ms. R's classes, but some of them were surprised to see me. 

The day had gone fairly well as Ms. R is one of the strict ones and her lesson plan specifically stated that they were to work independently and quietly. (They were reading chapter ten of Lord of the Flies, and then they had questions to go along with it.) 

But this class contained Oscar and Calvin. 

I have mentioned Oscar on this blog before. Calvin was another student who couldn't sit still. He had been another of the students whose name I knew from repeated use. 

The assignment was finishable, but I doubt either boy finished it. They were out of their seats way too frequently. 

I was once again over by the boys, urging them to get to work. 

Calvin: "When will you return to the art class?"

I explained that I wasn't going to. I had been the interim teacher until they hired Ms. D, but now that Ms. D was there, she'd be there going forward. She's an actual art teacher where I was just filling in. 

Did Calvin even hear me? I kind of doubt it. He was on to another topic almost immediately. 

They did not like me much when I was their teacher. But now? Now they miss me. Apparently (Although, not very much as since I've left I've covered two classes that some of them have and I've been on campus two or three other times in the two weeks since I left the art class.) 

In Trouble

Monday. Fifth period AP English (twelfth grade, literature). 

All the classes had assignments on paper that had to be turned in at the end of the period. Ms. A noted that otherwise she couldn't be sure the students weren't "consulting" ChatGPT at home. (I had a period of freshman English and a period of junior English before the seniors.) 

I had to remind the class the assignment was due at the end of the period as it took them some time to get working. But they all finished and turned in their work before the end of the period. 

As usual, I left a very detailed note for Ms. A. Her initial response: 

I am not surprised by ANY of what you noted. Those baseball boys in the corner. Aye! Aye! Aye! 

She was referencing a comment I made about some eleventh grade boys having long conversations that didn't touch on any of the essay they were supposed to be writing. But then I got a follow up email on Wednesday: 

Hello! Quick question: Did my AP 12 students have computers with them on Monday? I am reading their assignments and they sound too good? Also, upon opening one of the Chromebooks today, a student noticed they were on chatgpt asking a Death of a Salesman question.

Oops. Because, yeah, some of them did have computers. I didn't think much of it at the time. It is something I totally should have caught as they had to go and get computers (they were not out). 

I encountered something similar last school year while on the long term for the eleventh grade English class (those students now in the twelfth grade). Some of their answers were too good. I didn't believe some of them had done their work without ChatGPT assistance. 

So, yeah, I should have clocked that. 

I admitted my lapse. Ms. A wasn't upset with me. But she wasn't happy with her seniors...

Uh oh. They were in trouble...

Trigger Warning

I can't watch or read anything about the Holocaust. (I have mentioned this before.) No Schindler's List. No Night. I can absolutely not handle the Holocaust Museum. And when images taken from that time flash on my screen, I have to look away. 

Depictions of the suffering of others is painful to me. It's a migraine trigger. It makes me sick to my stomach. My mind disassociates. And these feelings can linger long after I've been exposed to the words/images. 

(It doesn't have to be the Holocaust, either. Years ago I was covering a world history class, and they were watching Hotel Rwanda. I actively avoided paying attention to the movie, but I was still sick for the two days we had to watch it.) 

Which means that I'm a terrible witness to the atrocities that are going on today, perpetuated by ICE. (This is one of the reasons why this whole thing makes me so livid.) Every news report that comes out by someone who was detained by them, every report of what someone witnessed being perpetuated upon those ICE detains threatens my equilibrium. 

Because, make no mistake, ICE is committing atrocities. Today. 

(What's going on in Gaza: same.) 

I will never forget the people who are not appalled by what is happening. Anyone who is okay with this is dead to me. Those who are standing by, or worse, who are actively helping this along have lost my trust entirely. Forever. 

ICE and their minions deserve to be tried for crimes against humanity. And found guilty. 

There have been some terrible stories coming out. That raid in Chicago. Every story guts me. Every. Story. And they're getting worse. 

I don't know what to do about it. I can't be a witness. It'll destroy me. But I can't stand by and let this happen. What can we do? 

Seriously. That's a question. If anyone has an answer, I'm here. 

Inching Along

Again, I didn't do a whole lot of knitting this week:

Maybe six or seven rows... 

(Yeah, I could have resisted, but they're getting to me.) 

I don't have any good excuses. I guess I was just tired this past week. Hopefully I'll get a bit more oomph so I can get this front done sooner rather than later. (I'd like to set a deadline of Halloween, but I expect that to do as well as my last deadline.) 

It's straight knitting (following the cable patterns) for about 25 inches or so. Wish me luck...

Sweater Tracking:

• Starting the Sweater
• Getting to the Back
• Missed Deadline
• Distractions from Knitting
• A Month Late

Six or Seven

Do you remember making jokes about 69 when you were a kid? (Or maybe you still do...?) 

So, I was mystified when the kiddos started laughing anytime I referred to 67. 67?!?

I was afraid to ask, but eventually I worked up the nerve. "Hey, what is this 6 or 7 thing all about?"

I did that a couple weeks ago, in the art class. And now that I know, I hear it everywhere. Seriously. Every. Where. All the kiddos refer to it. I hear it multiple times a day. 

And because I'm a giving person, I thought you all might like to know about the current meme. (Because if I have to know...) 

That's what started it. But what the kiddos are responding to...

So, yeah. If you're around any teens, say, "6 or 7". And watch their eyes light up. It's just so weird. 

The Snitch

Wednesday. Eighth grade science. In a classroom directly across from that art class I just left. 

Several of the students had been in the art class. And many students in the art class had to say hello when they passed by me. It's funny how they hate me when I'm there, but they miss me when I'm gone. Sigh. 

The kiddos had plenty of work, but of course several of them didn't make good use of their time. Typical middle school stuff. 

Jorge was seated directly in front of me, and all period he was doing as little as possible. The usual stuff. But when he picked up his Chromebook by the screen...

I remember as a kid being instructed to hold library books a certain way as to not damage them. These kiddos handle Chromebooks as if they're cheap and indestructible. I gasped, and then I warned Jorge to be careful with the computer. If the computer breaks due to his handling of it... 

"You would snitch on me?" 

I attempted to explain that as the adult in the room it was my responsibility to look after the materials in the classroom, and making sure he had a consequence for mishandling the materials was part of my job. But he wasn't listening. 

Jorge howled about me being a snitch. Sigh. 

Eighth graders... 

He did not, in fact, damage the Chromebook. So, I did not have to leave his name for damaging classroom materials.