One day, all children...

Blogging about how hard my life is, teaching in a county in a poor region of the country, seems too self-indulgent, even for me. On a blog. Being a woman in the South is hard, living in an impoverished community is hard, teaching 5th graders who can't read when I have no real teaching skills is hard. But they're only hard to me because I migrated here from a life of (what I recognize now to be) privilege. To everyone from here, it's business as usual. Doing what I do here does not motivate me to seek recognition for it. I don't want a pat on the back. Doing what I do here kind of makes me want to disappear and pretend I never saw any of it. Being here does not make me feel brave and accomplished. It makes me feel small and embarrassed of myself, and of everyone else I know.

Sometimes I honestly hope I can forget it all when I leave, and I am genuinely sorry for that.

Dear adulthood,

You're weird.

Sincerely,
Rebecca

They think Texas is a country. Seriously.

I want to kidnap all of my current students and bring them back to Connecticut where no one would let them be in gangs. Gangs? Waterford? Please.

I told them this, because I love them even when I hate them, and little tiny Brenda, throwing up her miniature fingers gang sign, said "Canada? Miss, what the hell are you gonna take us to Canada for?"

Back on the face of the planet.

I'm in Houston, teaching defiant 6th graders vague concepts about government. They're in gangs and pregnant already, and yesterday they asked me if I was a senior citizen.

Me: Do I look like a senior citizen, Anthony?
Anthony: Nah, Miss, I guess not. Senior citizens are probably like, 30 and up or something.
Me: Do I look 30, Anthony?
Anthony: Nah Miss, you look real young. How old you gotta be to be a teacher? I bet you still in the clubs every weekend, huh, Miss?

They've got me pegged.

Sorry Mia. My bad.

I would like to take this opportunity to post a public apology for calling Mia from Taking The Stage, among other things, a cunt and a retard. I was just mad because Aaron loves her and not me. I found their Twitter accounts (...and Myspaces...) (sorry, society) and upon further investigation I realized that I was judging too harshly. She's in high school! That makes her like, twelve, and that makes me old. And also kind of like those crazy moms who post fake Craigslist ads hoping their juvenile neighbors will be raped or beaten up or something. Also.. just sorry, ok?

Love muffins.

I would vote for B. Scott for President, just to watch his press conferences. He is hypnotizing. I watched the whole thing(?????).

omg

The best.

I'm an old, creepy, toothless man at heart.

Oddly enough, this is literally the SAME dance I do to the 30 Rock theme song.

And I'm not even joking this time.

98 days.

Just threw on my senior prom dress and walked around the house for a while. My family thought it was 86% less hilarious than I did.