..."we did it right"

I attended a reunion about a week ago...
of a part of the "Fremont Family"...
a group of staff & teachers I worked with...
for parts of the 21 years I taught...

our school was on the "wrong" side of the tracks...
we had a terrible reputation in the "district"...
[though completely undeserved...]
but we were resilient and thrived as a community...

we always got the short end of the stick...
the least money, the "worst" teachers...
and we were the district's "whipping boy"...
but yet, when outsiders came in for a while...
they always commented on how undeserved our "rep" was...
and left agreeing that, Fremont does it right, our school motto...

when I started, after school had begun in the fall of 1984...
my band students had been "banned" from visiting elementary schools...
due to "bad & out of control behavior in the past"...
[that first group was "the wild bunch"...]

however, by the spring, we'd come to terms enough...
that the principal gave us a "last chance"...
& we were allowed to go "out to the elementary schools"...
the elementary staff people couldn't believe the change for the better...
and the dye was cast for the next 16 years...

our staff, part of the "Fremont Family"...
along with the kids & their families...
really liked & respected each other for the most part...
together we created activities...
and learning experiences for our students...

when I started, there was a very small staff turnover...
as years passed, things didn't always go smoothly...
and sometimes, administration "issues", sent people away...

that was very true in the last year I taught...

over 50 staff members, many "long timers"...
left after the end of school that year...
I was the only retiree of that number...

so on May 31, a bunch of us gathered again...
for a Fremont Family" reunion...

some people I hadn't seen for 5 years or more, were there...
and as I enjoyed the familiar faces of my youth...
I also became aware of those absent...
due to distance or death...

in that environment, seeing dear people...
you almost expected to turn around...
& see those you'll never see again...
and found the pain of loss right on the surface...

we hugged, caught-up on news...
and seemed to fall right back into our roles...
it was like so many of the get-togethers we used to have...
and we decided to do it again, next year...

as I was leaving, I stopped to reminisce about a Disneyland trip...
the person I was talking to was remembering being a chaperon..
[one of the many times she & her husband had given up their time to do that...]
and what a bad luck trip it had been...
[the trip from Hell, I believe she called it...]

she said,"well, SH needed us...
& we liked her & respected what she did for the kids...
so there was no question, of course we went...
we all did that for each other...
that's why we were a family..."

I couldn't have said it better...

so here's to all those "Fremonsters" out there...
[that's what the kids called themselves...
when they went on to high school...
they became, "Franklinstines"...]

it was quite a time...
one that is no more, much the pity...
for I think our schools...
& the kids need a "family" like we were...
more now than ever before...

they finally succeeded in breaking up the Fremont Family...

and you won't see the like again for a very long time...


"...he that outlives this day and comes safe home...
will stand tip-toe when that day is mentioned...
...we few, we happy few...we band of brothers...
for he today that sheds his blood with me...
shall be my brother..."

[Henry V, Act IV, Scene III, Wm Shakespeare]

...FFers strike again

I've mentioned before that I get together every month...
with some former colleagues for lunch...
we formed this group from a group that gathered...
to give me a retirement party ...
after my last official day of school...
in June, 2005...

the 4 regulars have met every month since...
sometimes "life" intervenes...
and it's only 2... but more often...
3 or 4...or more if Dar brings any of her kids...

and we celebrate birthdays...
so this month was mine...
last month was Deb's...
June is Dar & K's...

since the Creamery [our chosen spot...]
is now open for breakfast...
we met earlier than usual...
and had breakfast...

Dar, who now lives in Fremont...
brought her really cool daughter...
K's Mom is ill, so she had to miss this one...
but Deb managed to show up...late...
but with an acceptable excuse...

we all taught in the same department...
[except Dar, who teaches PE...]
8th grade English...
and Deb was our "dept.chair."...

we all shared a pretty snarky attitude towards the district...
[we have since been proved 100% correct...]
and it was only a matter of time...
before we refused to let administrative ineptitude...
interfere with our classroom instruction...
or our ability to "enjoy life" at the expense...
of all the fools surrounding us...

6 of the 7 of us were of the same mind...
[kids first... stupid bureaucracy, get bent...]
so we really got along well...
the 7th person was a brown-noser, extraordinaire...
we were just careful what we made fun of around her...

we call ourselves the FFers...
[I have to admit... it WAS my idea...]
for "F....... Flee-ers"...as we all left that school...
at the same time...never to return...

I retired after 20+ years...
K moved on to a high school in the district...
Dar moved to a different m.s. in the district...
and ultimately, a Bay Area m.s....
and Deb moved to a m.s. in the "sleepy village" district...
13 miles to the north of Mudville...
after 10+ years at our old school...

over 60 staff members left that school after that year...
and I was the ONLY retiree...
[lousy administrators will have that effect on a staff...]

anyway... we have a good time...
and in the 3+ years since....
are still meeting regularly...
and Dar comes in from Fremont...

so today being the celebration of my birthday...
I got "loot"...
[I have not included the cards...
or drawing Dar's daughter made for me...
to protect the identities of those concerned...]



the "librarian action figure"...
[with shusshing motion...]
is from Deb...
it was this or the "cat lady action figure"...
that comes with 8 cats...

"Froggy-girl"[she collects them...]chose well...

the Jelly Belly's & the socks are from Dar...

which was quite amusing...
given that I have been instructed to wear sox...
to the colonoscopy, on Halloween...




they are chenille...& sooo soft...

I would say that I'm all set...

now I need to run an errand...

then it's mow the lawn & plant some more stuff...

...bite me, Piglet style

if you are a regular reader...
you know of Piglet's mouth lesions...
due to an immune system problem...

my vet was going to have a vet dentist friend...
pull several of her teeth...
as that seems to help in this kind of situation...

it had been a couple of weeks since her last steroid shot...
and I knew she was starting to hurt again...
she was eating very tentatively...
and had started huddling next to me the last couple of days...

so today... as I was sleeping off this stupid virus...
that I don't have time for right now...
with Piglet snuggled as close as she could get...
and looking as pitiful as could be...
the phone rang...

it was one of the techs at my vets...
telling me that the surgery would be tomorrow...
so I needed to have her there around 8:00 AM...
with NO FOOD in the previous 8 hours...

I could have managed that with Pigs...
SHE wasn't eating anyway...
Fluff, on the other hand would have been VERY upset...
as she tends to eat little meals... OFTEN...

so... since Pigs was already at hand...
I scooped her up... and took her in then...

she was NOT happy...
but was soon resigned to her fate...
I know she didn't expect to be left there...
and is at this very moment...I'm quite sure...
plotting some terrible revenge...

as I sit writing this...
through the fever fog of whatever this is...
I can hear the rumble of the treat ball...
being plied for it's goodies in the LR...

Lacy is looking much better after the medicine for her cold...
[I haven't heard a sneeze in hours...]
I need to go back to bed...
I wore myself out doing the trash & cat boxes this AM...
then making a run to the store for soda crackers...
Sprite... soup... deli turkey breast...
and frozen mac & cheese...

also carrot juice...yogurt...yogurt shots[immune booster]
milk... Hershey's syrup... and malted milk powder...

they don't carry malted milk powder at Raleys...
so I stopped on my way home from dropping off the Piglet...
and got some...as well as the Sprite I forgot earlier...
[I am VERY fuddled at the moment... as a result...
THIS post is taking a lot more effort than usual...]

one of the managers of the SMART Foods store I was in...
was a band student of mine...probably 15 years ago...
but today... another young man in an apron...
who I recognized right away as a former student...
[their eyes never change...nor does their smile...]
said,"excuse me, are you a teacher?"

since I recognized his face, I cut to the chase...
and told him I remembered him...
he had been in one of my English/reading classes...
in the last 4 years I taught...

he mentioned a Japanese anime movie,"Princess Mononoke"...
that I used to have the sub show when I was absent...
[the kid's good behavior for the sub would affect what I left
the next time I had to be gone...a test or a film...their choice...]

he mentioned how much he had liked that film...
and how it had gotten him into that genre...

it never fails to amaze me how some little thing you do...
can so impact someones life...for years...

it's probably been 6 or 7 years since he was in my class...
but he still remembered that film...

I told him that his manager had also been a student of mine...
the way he grinned, I'm sure they'll be comparing "Miz B" stories soon...

when I was a kid...we never went to "town"...
without seeing someone who had been a student of Mom's...
even in her later years...people would stop her on the street...
to reconnect with her...to tell her how important she'd been to them...


when she had to have a complete hysterectomy in 1990...
to remove a pre-cancerous growth...
and was hospitalized in Fresno at St Agnes...
I arrived one day, on my long commute from Mudville...
to find her asleep...
with a young man I didn't know...
sitting there as she slept...

he introduced himself as one of her "former students"...
telling me that Mom was his favorite teacher...
and that he owed her a lot... so he had come to pay his respects...
we chatted... and after a while... he left...

when Mom woke up... I told her that he had been there...
she was sorry that she had missed him...
she told me that he had had some learning disabilities...
that kept him from reading and as a third grader...
he was already way behind...and it was getting worse...

Mom recognized his disability... and worked with him...
special tutoring... and a large dose of encouragement...
worked for him... and he had gone on to succeed in school...
and later became a very successful businessman...

he had always given her credit for his success...
she would just say that she was in the right place...
at the right time...to be able to help...
it was her job... and she was glad to do it...

I have no unrealistic ideas about all the kids who were in my class...

I know that I wasn't the most important teacher in their lives...
[at least... not much past jr high...]

I'm just pleased when someone who had me during grades 7/8...
[when ALL adults who are authority figures are not to be trusted...]
remembers at least something from my class with a smile...

and goes out of their way to say...

"didn't you used to be my teacher?"...

that leaves a warmth that I know isn't fever...

...school daze & nightmares

this is my 4th year being retired...
after 20+ years in an inner city middle school...
[grades 7 & 8....]
the last 4 years, I taught reading & English...
for the 17 years before that, I taught music...
[as well as English, world history & careers...]

but for the last 10 years of that 17, only music...
4 bands [3 levels] & orchestra...

most of my students didn't have much...
so I worked very hard...
to build up a cache of school equipment...
they could use without any cost to them...

I liked my job... my school...
my colleagues & my students...

we didn't "memorize" a piece...
and then go to "contests"...
playing the same piece until we won a trophy...
but they did learn to read music...

we participated in a community parade...
from time to time...
and generally went to the CMEA festival...
[sort of like "THE state test" for musicians...]

I NEVER had the same advanced students, as a group...
for more than 1 year... so just as they got "good"...
they moved on to high school...
so we never earned a rating of "I"[superior] at CMEA...

but we often earned a "II"[excellent]...
and one year... the best group I would ever have...
came SO close... to a "I"...
it really hurt...

the judge said, "you're really pretty much a "I"...
but next year, there'll be no question...
so I'll give you a "II" this time...
and next year, you'll really appreciate...
the "I" you earn..."

there was no "next year"...

of the 65 students in that group...
only 12 were 7th graders...
and the 8th graders would scatter...
to many different schools...

it had been the "perfect storm"...
and then... it was gone...



I had a "Music Room"... much like this...
[most commonly called "the band room"...
until I added orchestra to my schedule...]

I would spend about 2 weeks after school was out...
cleaning instruments & mouthpieces...
putting together the "Summer repairs" list & p.o....
marking & piling them in a safe spot...

sorting music, filing it, doing inventory...
closing out my fund raiser accounts...
painting & repairing music stands...
and storing EVERYTHING away behind locked doors...

I didn't get paid extra...

but if I didn't do it...
no one else would...
and it needed to be done...

so I just did it...



2 to 3 weeks before school was to start...
I began to go back...
[I didn't get paid extra for this either...]

to "un-pack" my room...
put away the "Summer repairs" that were now, back...

re-stock my supplies of reeds, oil...
cork grease, strings & rosin...
drumsticks, mouthpieces, chin rests...
ETC....
[out my own pocket, of course...]

make sure I had enough "beginner" books...
[one year, I had 63 in beginning band...
at the first of the year... IN 1 CLASS...]
playing 9 different instruments...
besides percussion...

by the 2nd quarter...
I was able to whittle it down to 45...
by moving the most talented "up"...
to intermediate or advanced band...
this would be the year of my best advanced band...
which would have 15 1st year players...
by the end of the year...

before school started...
I also relabeled instrument cases...
labeled music folders...
chose music, passed it out...
I had racks for each class...

and set up my room...





when I left music...
I also left most of the "fun" behind...

I still had to set-up my classroom...
now an ancient portable...
with very limited storage space...
and since the "administration" decided that we had to "vacate"...
[ie...move "everything" out and take it home each summer...]
because of "renovation" and relocation of some teachers...

this meant that all the textbooks...
had to be returned to the book room...
at each "school closing"...

and retrieved, at the "opening"...
hauling them on a wobbly cart...
making a number of trips...
over bad blacktop and cracked cement...
unless there was construction...
then ...it was over dying grass and hard, uneven dirt...

and finally, UP THE RAMP...
into my classroom...

this was AFTER hauling stored boxes of classroom materials...
from my garage to my car, packing the car...
driving to school, driving back behind the portables...
unloading my car... carrying things UP THAT RAMP...
and then, re-assembling my classroom...

I would still get that "tingle" all teachers get...
looking at the "finished" room...
just waiting for the ones who would populate...
[or as I came to think, the last couple of years...]
"infest", the room in a day or two...

I didn't come to dislike "kids"...

they just became so different...

more,"entitled"... less interested in learning...
LAZY...spoiled... and willful...
nothing could make them care...
about their future... about how they treated each other...
about the lack of respect they had...
for everything... and everyone...
including themselves...

but even when I liked my job & students...
and looked forward to returning to "my school"...
working again with colleagues...
and administrators I liked & respected...

I had the "dreams"...

at first, I thought that I was the only one...
then my good friend & mentor said...
"Oh, yeah... school dreams...we ALL have them..."
and I felt better...

I haven't had them for a while...
since I left all that behind...
but the other night...I had one...
and it was a doozy...

waking me up at 5 AM...
agitated... in a foul mood...
I couldn't settle down...
& just go back to sleep...

I had to distract myself...
playing solitaire on my cell to clear my mind...

[THIS... is why I don't watch violent scary films...]

it was a pretty common "school dream"...
I had a new class... a rowdy, noisy group...
not unlike ones I had the last year I taught...
but for some reason, there were some adults there too...

sitting with the students as "visitors"...

and when I employed the usual "methods"...
to show that I WAS in control...
the students responded...
but the adults undercut my authority...
and chaos reigned supreme...
until the bell rang...

in my dream, I left the classroom, extremely angry...

I went looking for the principal...
who saw me coming...
and made himself scarce...

then, as I was looking around for him...

I woke up...

in these kind of dreams... all is surreal...
I'm never at "my school" or in "my room"...
but I'm somewhere familiar...
[in this dream, I was teaching at MY elementary school...]

sometimes...I used to dream that I had left CA...
and returned to Chicagoland...
in these frequent re-occurring dreams...
I often lived in the same place...
[NEVER a place I had lived...]
and was aware that I had left CA...
and my old school...
and was trying to find a job teaching there...

since the dreams were surreal...
rooms would "morph"...
become smaller or larger...
or become other places altogether...

I can still see bits & pieces of these dreams...

sometimes they were "school dreams"...
where I was the teacher...
and sometimes, I had returned to grad school...
to finish the DMA I started, but left undone...
a kind of "school dream", I guess...

although my most common grad school dream...
is coming into a class I've missed a couple of times...
and there is a test...
and, of course... I'm clueless...

the other one is that I rush to a rehearsal...
only to discover that I either don't have my trumpet...
[or the music...]
or I don't have ALL the trumpets I need...
or some other necessary piece of equipment is missing...

but ... it's in my car...
now...if I only knew where my car is...

sometimes, I was still in Mudville...
but at my school's "rival"...
and being mistreated because of where I was from...
[ironically... I did post-retirement "testing" at this school...
and was "looked askance at"...for that very reason...]

the common ground is always frustration...
a loss or lack of control over my situation...
[and we all know about my "control issues", don't we...?]
and for teachers... the "new class" is always...
the "great unknown"...

I've left all those school issues behind me now...
I only think of them when I have my monthly FFers lunch...
[the letters stand for something "clean"...and, I'm NOT telling...]
with several former teacher colleagues...
though we did just meet last Saturday...
and there was a LOT of angst & frustration vented...

I guess I just held on to some of it...
causing the "school dream"...
that's a relief...
because I don't need any more stress...
what with the impending bath tear-out...



so, attention all you "school ghosts & goblins"...
find someone else to terrorize...
because...
Catsinger has left the campus...