Waste?

I have decided that I should use this forum to document and share the adorable, hilarious, inane, and downright weird things that happen in my classroom. Just whenever a good one liner strikes. Things like that.

Today, after having a speaker into my CALM class (career and life management) to discuss post-secondary, my students were asking me questions.

Boy: "What did you take other than education classes in university?"

Me: "I majored in physics and chemistry, and did a minor in biology."

Boy: "So how does it feel to know you wasted all that time and money on something you don't use?"

Me: "Boy, I teach science."

Boy: "...Really?"

No. The big periodic table on the wall is just there because I like it.

I sometimes wonder about the youth I am about to unleash on the world.

Weekend.

Great weekend. Finished with MUN. A quick trip to a Battle of the Bands in the scuzzy area of town. A surprise 70th birthday party, with desserts from the Italian Centre. The inaugural meeting of Food Club: soup edition.

Not enough rest though... Gonna be a long week.

Diplomacy.

So proud of my students. They were so great at the MUN conference this weekend. It's not super competitive, but hey, we took home half the top delegate awards, and only accounted for 14 of the 400 students there. Natch.

Best moment of the weekend occurred between my Security Council boy (who shall henceforth be known as China) and some kid representing Russia.

Russia, by being very unaware of his own foreign policy, has screwed over China, leaving China to pick up the pieces and prevent World War III, no thanks to Russia. China is royally pissed off, and at the end of Fridays debate tells me that "Russia is going down tomorrow."

At this point, Russia saunters over.

Russia (enthusiastically): "Nuclear high five!"
China: "We are not friends."

China leaves Russia hanging and walks away.

I shouldn't be proud of that moment, but I am.

Valentines.

I think by this point it's a pretty well established fact that I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day. Well, except for maybe the cinnamon hearts. I REALLY like those.

Valentine's Day in high school is usually pretty funny, in an awkwardly sweet kind of way. This year they sold roses that were delivered during class, and there was lots of candy to be had.

But the sweetest thing was the group of girls who went around and stuck post-it notes on all the lockers in the school with the message "You are loved". That's a lot of lockers.

Gives me the warm fuzzies inside.

Roses.

So I reached a new achievement today while decorating some cupcakes to take to my MUN group this week. The ones for them are just valentine themed, but with the extra icing and leftover cupcakes, I got a bit creative.

I remember seeing an online tutorial (all pictures, alas) on how to do icing roses, but never really did anything with it (I don't usually use pink icing). Well, today was the day to try it.

And holy cats are they adorable.

Basically the technique is the same as I normally do, but instead of starting on the edge and spiraling in, I started in the middle and spiraled out. Some looked a bit funny, but some were awesome!

I gave this one leaves to enhance the effect.

Unbearable Lightness.

I just finished reading the book Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi. It is her memoir of anorexia and bulimia, and it is a phenomenal book. At once both inspiring and horrifying, it really opens your eyes to the terrible images women hold as ideals thanks to the media. Somehow our value as people is still tied to our looks, accomplishments aside.

Reading this book made me excessively grateful that I am okay with my body. I may not like everything about it, but I am sufficiently okay with it to not feel the need to emulate the look of a sick person who has not had her period in over a year because her body has no extra material to use, and is slowly dying.

Everyone should read this book. It took great courage for Portia de Rossi to share her feelings of self loathing with the world especially since they are bound up with her old fear of exposing her sexuality.

Seriously. Read this book.