Expect the Unexpected

What a crazy week this has been! I was supposed to be going to Houston for a business trip, but as most of you are probably aware, like 75% of the country is frozen.... thus, trip canceled. I have mixed feelings about this. I was really looking forward to the trip, as I really appreciate the group of English teachers I was to meet with and the activities are always engaging. In that way, I am very sad about this. On the other hand, I am getting a crazy lot of stuff done at school today, so that is good. I was also having crazy anxiety about being away from Tiana for so long, so perhaps it is a good thing. Unfortunately, since my being able to go was because someone else had dropped out of the trip originally, I don't know if I will get to go when they reschedule in April, but if I do, it will probably be better at that point when Tiana is a little older. It is also really annoying that I saved up breastmilk for 6 weeks and now have 15 bottles defrosted in my refrigerator. Once you thaw milk, you are not supposed to re-freeze it (plus I mixed it with a little formula to make it stretch longer), so I need to either use it this weekend and just pump all weekend or something like that so it doesn't go to waste.

I know Vinny will be glad I am not going. He normally has no problem with me going out of town, but when I told him this morning in the car, he got seriously sad and was so choked up he could barely get the words out when he asked, "Why are you going?" I tried to explain I was going to work, but he didn't understand and kept asking "Why?" and then "Will you be back tomorrow?" Eek. I felt really bad. I think he is really craving time with me lately. Since I have all this extra milk now, maybe I will send Tiana with Marc tomorrow night and I will take Vinny to do something special.

In other crazy news, there is never a dull moment when you work with kids, which both my husband and I can attest to. I don't normally talk much about Marc's work, but while I have "140 kids, he has a good 30 or so of his own where he works. He is a much braver sole than I, as he works with the little ones. Yesterday, he got bit on the thigh by a young autistic kid. The kid bit him so hard it ripped through his jeans and punctured his skin. Like seriously punctured. He had to go to the doctor for it. You certainly have to be called to do the work he does.

One of my 140 kids today said something that threw me for a loop. We were watching a video clip from ABC Primetime's What Would You Do, and it was a scene where a store clerk makes a bunch of antisemitic remarks to a Jewish couple. I asked the kids to talk with a partner about what they would do if they witnessed the scene, then had some students share what their partners said. One kid actually said he would support the clerk. I clarified that he really meant he would support the one saying the hateful things and then asked why, and all I got was  a shrug and "'cuz he's right." Oh my. I have work to do this semester.