>Am wondering (not out loud this time) if being a part of the public school system is the place for me. Why do I wonder? The expectations of teachers and students, at best, are questionable, and I am beginning to see that if the parents are not educated — as parents and as educators themselves — all of the work and expertise in the world is being misspent. Why do I say this? I say it because I am seeing more and more developmentally inappropriate practices in multiple grade levels, but especially in early childhood (and I include PK, K, 1st and 2nd grades in this category…maybe even higher elementary grades). It is quite alarming. I am currently faced with a strange situation in which I have a co-teacher whose point of view is very different than my own. Lots of yelling. Punishment and exclusion. I do not understand it. I know it is the old school way, but it is giving ME high blood pressure. I can only imagine how the three-year-olds feel. I made my first report to Child Protective Services today, to relate a story that a three-year-old has told me over the past two school days about his father having burned him with cigarettes and with matches. I got a call back this same afternoon — very impressive. Who knows what will come of it, as I am sure that there are no Spanish speaking social workers either, just like there are no bilingual speech therapists or physical therapists or psychologists or doctors or dentists. It’s really becoming more and more heartbreaking for me. I wish I thought I was the kind of person who could work on obtaining a Master’s degree while having a full time job, but I know that I would absolutely burn out beyond recognition if I even attempted to do such a thing. Must buy lottery ticket, soon. I decided to work on coming to terms with the obvious fact that I am likely never going to fit in with a group of primary school teachers. Our experiences are far too varied and disparate, and I see life as limitless instead of finite and confining. Perhaps when I make peace with that harsh reality, I will be able to guiltlessly move into the next stage. Today, I was wondering if my place might not be in parent education. I was asked to apply for a parent involvement coordinator job by a supervisor this summer, but I had already signed a contract…blah blah blah. I am tired, and I want to read some before falling asleep. Have overslept the past two days and am not sure what that indicates. Innate laziness. Boredom with daily routine. Reluctance to go to bed. What? I think I have PMS. No other apparent trigger for this doldrum.