Pink Eye

Bella and I posing for our Christmas card picture.

Last week I took Bella to the vet because her right eye had a gross green discharge and was pink. Lo and behold, my dog had conjunctivitis, otherwise known in the people world as pink eye. The vet gave me some ointment to put in her eyes several times a day for the next 10 days to get rid of the infection. He told me to be especially conscious about washing my hands after messing with her eyes, and I have been.

However, I didn't think about where she sleeps when I'm gone at work all day, which is usually on my bed, either on my pillows or on my pajamas if they are laying on the bed. Yesterday, I woke up with a red left eye. It itched and had some gunk in it, but most of the redness went away when I used my allergy eye drops. Throughout the day, my eye continued to bother me. The nurse at school said it could be allergies or it could be pink eye - she told me to wait and see what happened overnight and if it was sealed shut when I woke up. It sure was. So off to the doctor I headed first thing this morning.

I ruined my perfect attendance record for the school year because I got pink eye from my dog! Who would have thought. I guess I need to start shutting her out of my bedroom when I'm gone.

Learning Restraint...

I choked my principal the other day. I pulled her hair, kicked her and threw a punch. Do you believe it? Well, none of it was for real, but I wasn't nearly as nervous when I had to sit down with her for a meeting on Friday.

My principal and I and 3 others from my campus took a restraint training last week and my principal was my partner when it came time to practice the blocks and releases, so we took turns punching, kicking, choking and pulling.

It was a training I was required to take because of potential circumstances I face at school. It was the Nonviolent Crisis Invervention Training Program through the Crisis Prevention Institute. The purpose of the program is to focus on the care, welfare, safety and security of the student. It is definitely a training I would recommend to other teachers, even if you don't have a student you may potentially need to restrain. We worked to understand that restraint is a LAST RESORT option to be used only when the student is a danger to him/herself, others or destructive to property.

I don't see myself necessarily needing to use the restraint procedures, but you just never know what will happen in the classroom, so the information is handy to have. It would have been helpful to have a few years ago when I had an especially challenging student who was a runner and I found myself grabbing for her far too often because her favorite route was for the outside doors and toward the streets - she once made it as far as the street corner of a major intersection.

However, the restraint I find myself needing more often, lies within myself. I need to restrain myself because I become impatient...with people in general. I get impatient when I have to wait for people, especially when it was a set appointment; and I get impatient with my students when they are playing instead of paying attention. I need to rely on God to give me patience, to take a few deep breaths and just relax.

Nanny

For several weeks this summer, I worked as a nanny for an almost 4 year old little girl. I gained a new respect for parents through this experience. I have been around kids in different avenues for the last 17 years: babysitting, working in my church nursery, working at a preschool and a daycare, teaching, younger siblings (my youngest sister is 14 years younger than me), younger cousins, and my niece and nephews. However, I have never been solely responsible for their moment by moment daily life.
I enjoyed hanging out with Blair and I tried to do as many fun things with her as possible, as well as just running simple errands. We went to a couple of parks, the Dallas Zoo, the Science Place in Fair Park (a great children's interactive museum for those Dallasites with kids of all ages) and we watched Happy Feet at the Studio Movie Grill. I took her with me to get my tires rotated, to get a new cell phone after I demolished mine and school supply shopping for when I head back to teaching.
I fixed breakfast and lunch; gave baths; cleaned so the house wasn't totally demolished at the end of the day; tended to boo boos; put together puzzles; colored; played hide and seek; and even had to put her in time out some. I was tired at the end of each day - but it was a good tired.
For you parents out there, I only got a sneak peek, but I applaud you because it's a tough job. But as tough as it is, I look forward to the day when I can join your ranks. I thank Blair for teaching me all she did about being a "mom".