In Which I Miss People, Disappoint a Student, and am Monitored by a Dutch Master

A lot has happened in the last month.  My best friend (coincidentally, my big sister) moved to Sweden.  I could wax lyrical about that, but I'm not going to.  I'm just going to remind her that we can't wait to read about her fascinating, adventure-filled new life in a beautiful country on her blog!  (hint hint...)
 
"There were never such devoted sisters"
After sniffling about that for a few days, I picked myself up and dove further into the new world that is teaching.  Reader, behold, for you are about to marvel at my remarkable German efficiency:  I've already succeeded in losing the respect of one young 9th-grade lad in just one sentence.  Here's how it went down on the playground:

Student: "Hey Miss Heidel, Bears or Packers?"
Me: [Thinking: Crap!  He's speaking Football!] "Ohhh, I don't really follow a team...but I guess I'd say the Packers because my dad's from Michigan."
[Pregnant pause; speechless horror covers student's face and my eyes widen as I realize my mistake]
Student: "[Despairing sigh] -- the Packers -- the Packers are in WISCONSIN!"

What can I say?  I never got into football (or Midwest geography, apparently).

One of my first projects at work involved purchasing, framing, and hanging some new fine art prints to spruce up the main building.  One of the nicest pieces is a large poster of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring.  Upon returning to my desk after completing the installation, I sat down and discovered that I'd hung the Vermeer precisely in my line of sight from my seat.  The Girl is watching me.  Always, ever watching me.

"Are you intimidated yet?"
Come to think of it, she has the harried and long-suffering look of a woman who has been forced to watch hours of football.  Perhaps she and I will get along after all.

Comments

Becca said…
I know less than you do about football--Packers? Giants? and who does Tebow play for? did I even spell his name right?--so it's good that poor fellow doesn't have me for a teacher!

Thanks for all your book recommendations, dear Ginny! Have you read "The Girl with the Pearl Earring," by the way? It was a little young for us adults (as we're no longer truly young adults...), but good, light reading, I thought.

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