Well today I was hit by the teacher Gods. There is a place in Charlotte called Classroom Central that gives away over 3.5 million dollars worth of school supplies to teachers every year. I went in there not knowing what I was getting into and walked out with literally about $400 worth of merchandise...from new and used binders, notebooks and pens, to mechanical pencils, notebook paper and a backpack! I immediately called my Mom and delivered the phenomenal news: We get to go once a month and pick out basically as much stuff as we would ever need or want. I was a kid in a candy store in there, couldn't stop talking about it.
Last night we sat around the dinner table and had a little religion break down. I expressed my concern regarding the hypocritical nature of people's hating on particularly religious individuals just like they claim highly religious Christians hate on them. After their discussing their reasons at length and my quiet taking in what they were conveying, I think it came across as if I were holding something back from them - like I were a closet super-conservative Christian waiting to sneak into their rooms when they were sleeping and convert them. Addressing this concern that they might mistake my silence for the "judgement of the Southern Christian," I proclaimed that in no way had anything they had said offended me and that I actually agreed with many points - a true statement. Anyway, I think it will all turn out all right...but the divide between conservative Christians and those who lack respect for their culture is certainly great...especially in the South.
Also...the darn cockroaches will not go in peace. Under the direction of a wise aunt, I went on a Boric Acid rampage the other night. Some of my roommates were remarkably concerned by the poison sign on the white bottle that I had picked up from the drugstore. I reassured them that there was little to fear, as I liberally dusted crevices and holes in their rooms and around the house with the bug repellent. Ever doubtful (and perhaps for good reason - as the bottle warned against contact between powder and eyes, fingers and throat), one fellow renter looked it up online to confirm that it had previously been used as a cure-all for eye and yeast infections alike - oh the plethora of uses for Boric acid. Long story short, we have continued to experience cockroach sightings all through the house, particularly in bedrooms. Last night I made a heroic dive under my roommate's bed to catch one before it could disappear from view.
New teacher workdays begin tomorrow. Time to leave the TFA bubble and enter real life...thank God and good God!
Also...I will be reporting to school no later than 6:50am during the school year and will be "floating" - i.e. I don't have a set classroom, but instead will have a cart with which I shall transport my goods. Maybe I'll finally get into coffee.
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2 comments:
I am so glad you had a great time visiting Classroom Central. I'm the communication manager and I was wondering if I could use your comments on some of our marketing materials? You can contact me at sarah@classroomcentral.org. Thank you so much!!
Hey! I feel like a bit of a dork commenting on a week-old post, but I thought your musings on the religion conversation were interesting - I know I can always count on you to take in as many different perspectives as possible!
I think when it comes to religion, one's faith becomes problematic only when it enters the realm of public policy. As far as I'm concerned, people are welcome to live by the doctrine of any particular faith, but when that faith is then used as an engine to create discriminatory legislation, then we've got a problem. See, for example, South Carolina's state-sponsored "I Believe" Christian license plates for a comparatively benign example - one which doesn't blatantly, but could you imagine an "I believe" license plate for a smaller religion? Here's the link:
SC License Plate Story
Basically, I think we really hit rocky ground when our religious leaders try to dictate our national political discourse. In this country, certain religions are favored over others, and huge numbers of peacefully religious people (American muslims, for example) are marginalized by the government as a result. Could the latest Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency (led by Rick Warren, a pastor) have been MC'ed by an Imam or a Rabbi instead? I highly doubt it. And therein lies the problem.
Just some food for thought. I hope you are doing great!
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