Friday, April 8, 2016

Real Life

This week was emotionally just...so hard.

It's not something I want to or can go into, but this week our school family has been dealing with some really hard stuff. I've had to put a lot of myself into work to support our students and my colleagues (and myself), so in my free time I've withdrawn into myself a little to help me get through it. I know I've been absent from the blog scene this week...but I had to step back and take care of myself. I needed the quiet time.
I've been resting.

I'm not sure how to get back to a place where running and exercise will be life-giving instead of a burden, where interacting with others is a joy. But I guess this post is a good step forward.

ASCD this past weekend was good. I picked up a lot of information and tools for my classes. We also got to listen to Manny Scott, one of the students whose story was featured in Freedom Writers. His story was unbelievably moving and his delivery was fantastic. It's probably the most memorable moment from the conference.
The convention was good, but the funniest part was that our hotel was hosting the annual furry convention. I listen to Dan Savage so these people in animal costumes weren't a mystery to me, but my colleagues were freaked out, entertained, and really interested. We spent all weekend scoping them out and finally worked up the nerve to meet some of them.

As with most things that are strange and new, any preconceived notions dissipated once we'd spent a little time around them. As usual, exposure is fatal to prejudice.

I hope you're all doing well. I've been reading, even if I haven't been commenting. I hope to be around more soon.

ABK

20 comments:

  1. Hang in there, Ali! Also, I love the pictures from the convention with your new furry friends. Glad that both different groups got along well. Reminds me of a story my dad told about attending an engineering conference that was somewhat awkwardly sharing the hotel with a masters & slaves convention.

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    1. Wow, a slaves/masters convention would have been really fun to see. We were joking around that some of the furries-by-night may have been at the teaching convention during the day!

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  2. I am sorry things are so tough that normal things that bring you joy don't right now. :( It's a horrible feeling. I wish I could do more for you but I'm here if you need anything.

    On a lighter note, I am jealous you actually got to meet some furries! I am so glad I listen to Dan Savage because I have learned so much from him and I think I have become a more open person because of it.

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    1. I do think Dan Savage has made me more openminded. I was still giggling/freaked about the furries at first but I immediately felt like it wasn't GGG to judge them so I got myself under control fast.

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  3. It's hard to be able to focus on a lot of different things at once and it sounds like your school family needs you most now. I hope things gets better soon. The furries always have an annual convention here in Pittsburgh so when I read this I worried that they'd changed venues. I checked and the one there must be another. They're still coming here in this summer for the 10th year. Pgh loves them!

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    1. The first furry we met was from Pittsburgh and talked about the convention and parade there a bit. I had no idea they had a parade and everything!

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  4. I can definitely understand withdrawing into yourself when life throws you lemons.

    But I've always found running to be my best stress outlet. I hope you can get back to a place where it is for you, too.

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    1. Thanks Judy. I think I needed some major rest and recovery...running is feeling good again this week.

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  5. Oh no, really sorry to hear that you and your school have had a tough week. It's good that you have taken time to care for yourself and others.

    Running is often nice for small amounts of stress relief or for forgetting a bad situation exists for a little while, but it can also be extra exhausting and mentally draining. You'll get back to it once it fits in to your routine again and feels right, there's no need to stress or push forward with it when it sounds like you're already dealing with a lot!

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    1. I agree - running seems to exacerbate really big stressors. And this was big. But I'm starting to finally feel like running will help.

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  6. Sorry to hear things have been going a little rough. Hope it gets better for you soon:) Looks like you had a fun time at the convention. Great pics!-L

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  7. Sending you some hugs. <3 I'm sorry your dealing with upset right now. :(

    On another note it looks like you had a great convention.

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  8. Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. Hope things turn around soon!

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  9. Hugs to you, my friend. I hope things start to look up for you.

    My first exposure to even remotely understanding what a "furry" is came from CSI way, way back in its "good" days. Still can't fathom the idea... but I guess different strokes for different folks.

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    1. My principal had the same background info on furries - CSI. So she was very freaked out. Now she seems to be their biggest fan!

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  10. Hugs to you, my friend. As a high school teacher, I feel you. I don't know what you have going on, but I know that at our school we've had a lot of issues with drug overdoses. It seems like we have 1-2 each year. We even had some serious Heroin/Opiate prevention programs come to our school but it still keeps happening. It is the most draining situation - both physically and emotionally. Students and faculty members are just a mess, and coming to work is hard. I am so sorry you are having a tough time with work. I'll be keeping you in my prayers!

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    1. You hit the nail on the head. In middle school we don't see it as much; often when I hear about it, it's an older student who was affected. This was the first time it's happened to a current student in the middle of the school year. Needless to say, the kids were a wreck and the faculty had our hands full trying to support them as best we could. Thanks for the prayers - things are looking up for the student affected.

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