Saturday belongs to me, leave me alone (unfriendly rant)

[_Jersey Girl]

In my haste to rant the OP up, I forgot to mention the fish...

I killed my class fish.

I was just trying to recycle some cleaner water in there and doing so in a hurry, so I didn't put the basket thingy in the drain.

Out he went.

<---D.e.a.d.

He was a good and faithful servant of the people. A beautiful blue Siamese Fighting Fish whose given name was Jack B. Sparrow, who sometimes went by his Native American Name: Swims with Shark.

And I killed him.

[_Jersey Girl]

When a pet dies in my class, even in this case if it makes me look like a careless fool, I always tell the children the truth of what happened.

When Jack slipped out of the bowl and down into the drain, I stood there knowing I had to address it. I admit that my first thought was to pick up another blue fish and pawn it off on the children as Jack.

But I can't look into the eyes of a child and lie.

So on Monday, I will have to gather my little community and admit that I wasn't careful enough with Jack and now he is gone from us.

Some of you might be parents and you have to know why it's important to be honest with your children when you've screwed up.

It's because some day THEY will screw up, not be careful enough and do something THEY regret and they need to learn ways (by adult examples) how to deal with it. In this case, my hope is to model honesty and regret.

We are here to teach children something more than literacy, math and science.

We are here to teach them how to "be" by modeling it for them.

We'll write up our expressions of appreciation for Jack , our memories of him, and share our loss together and at the top of the page will be the reason why he is gone.

"Jack is gone because the teacher wasn't careful enough with him".

Damn.

[_Jersey Girl]

Speaking of memories...

This is the hardest part of the week to write about because I know I will not do justice to this man or the impact he has had on me.

Not so long ago, I spent two full days with Tom Hunter and others. As it happened, he intersected my professional journey at just the time when a variety of issues were bubbling up inside of me and unknowingly, he sang a song that synthesized everything and I mean EVERYTHING, that had been stirring around in my head for many several months.

Tom Hunter was a musician, singer, songwriter, educator, story teller. A gentle and internally strong man. The kind of man who shows his strength by showing his heart. The other night while poking around on the internet, I happened to open his web site to find this:

"We have some very sad news.

Tom took his last breath on June 20, at 3:39am surrounded by the three of us and an amazing amount of love. We cried, laughed, prayed, embraced, hummed "How Can I Keep From Singing" and sang "The Garden Song." We lit a candle and applauded a life well-lived.

A new journey has begun for all four of us.

With love,

Aeden, Irene, and Gwen Hunter"

He died having contracted a disease that strikes one in a million.

Tom Hunter... was one in a million.



http://www.bellinghamherald.com/477/story/446682.html

[_Jersey Girl]

Memories
by Tom Hunter

What do you remember from the time you were a child?
Do you think of moments memory knows well?
Are there little things like trinkets you carry with you now,
That trigger stories memory wants to tell?
Like the people, or the places, the fun or food or games,
Like family trips or chores or how you played,
Is it painful? Is it pleasant? Is it somewhere in between?
Are there things you always wished that you could say?

May the memories wrap their arms around you,
May your childhood take you by the hand,
And may what you remember find healing when it hurts,
So the memories will protect you when they can.

What songs and smells and gatherings come easily to mind?
What have you learned of love from who loved you?
Do the memories need forgiveness to free them from the past,
And find a future you can still make new?


May the memories wrap their arms around you,
May your childhood take you by the hand,
And may what you remember find healing when it hurts,
So the memories will protect you when they can.

And what about the children you find around you now?
Are you making time to sing and talk and play?
So someday they'll have memories of love and being loved,
Protection that'll never go away.


May the memories wrap their arms around you,
May your childhood take you by the hand,
And may what you remember find healing when it hurts,
So the memories will protect you when they can.

[_SUAS]

You Think I need a life boy oh boy do you need a life..

Where do you live in a Baked Alaska?

Sweet Woman listen to some classic rock.

WOW....or smoke some POT..or drink some wine..do something other than complain.

Jeez

[_SUAS]

Was Tom Hunter a GOD or what?

[_Gazelam]

Thanks for sharing all this Jersey. My wife and I love you even more now. : )

Sorry about the fish. Maybe the kids could choose a new color and then you can chase it down for them, that way they could bond more with the new one.

A 1/4 mile driveway? mines about 18 feet or so. : (

If you want an interesting read, try to get the JW's big red book that spells out all their beliefs. its alot of math, and youll probably need a notebook and a calculator.

[_Jersey Girl]

Thanks for sharing all this Jersey. My wife and I love you even more now. : )

My goodness! Did she read it, too? :-) I have to admit the whole thing was totally unpretentious and authentic Jersey unleashed. Scary, huh?

Sorry about the fish. Maybe the kids could choose a new color and then you can chase it down for them, that way they could bond more with the new one.

I loved that darn fish. He was so beautiful. This is only our second "death" on record. Two years ago, "King Julian" met met with an untimely death via a soapy little hand reaching into his bowl. :-( Jack, of course, was a pirate so it's fully possible that he's "out there" sailing on the high seas. I'll probably give them a chance to think about that with a starter question "Where do you think Jack is now?" We actually still have another fish however, you're right. We'll talk about it and see what they'd like to do. I'm all for giving them time to mourn but they might decide that our other fish needs a neighbor.

A 1/4 mile driveway? mines about 18 feet or so. : (

Yes, only a brave soul on a mission from God would risk what lies at the end of the drive!

If you want an interesting read, try to get the JW's big red book that spells out all their beliefs. its alot of math, and youll probably need a notebook and a calculator.

Thanks, but I try to steer clear of religious math whenever possible!

:-)

[_Jersey Girl]

There is nothing good to say about 8 hours of lock down. The moment the person in charge announces "we're in completel lock down" it pretty much goes down hill from there.

You take the prescribed precautions in order to secure the building you're in and then you wait.

And wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and try to go on about your business as if nothing unusual is happening.

Right.

Except for the fact that you can barely see daylight and every new announcement sends you into yet another new "plan of action" mode until this perpetual contingency planning and revision eventually leads you to the conclusion that you're completely exhausted from thinking and the full realization that you're effectively TRAPPED.

Not a good thing!

I was released from captivity around 4 pm where upon, I fled to the nearest DSW to find my new shoes and pick up a new black shirt to go with some stuff I'm not telling you about.

There's no such thing as too exhausted to shop.

[_Jersey Girl]

Gad,

I think I gave this to you a long time ago. You cannot go wrong with any CD on this web site.

http://www.tomhunter.com/

You will see both traditional and original songs. Some you're well familiar with and some that will be new to you.

Maybe your next FHE could be a song fest.

:-)

Love ya,
Jersey