A vote, a nickname, and some names from the past, the week 40 weekend wrap up is now named “done”!
A vote
In Ontario, the college teachers are currently without a contract, and as a result have been in a bit of a labour issue over the last several months. I thought that this was the week we would see an end to the dispute, because the Professors were at last, given the opportunity to vote on the management’s final offer but I was wrong. The little problem was that the outcome was not as much of a clear victory for either side as we would have liked with only a little more then 200 ballots separating both sides. Yes, that was 200 more votes to accept the contract then reject, but the issue is, there are more then 300 outstanding mailed in votes yet to be counted, so it is possible for the outcome to swing.
The frustrating part is that many people, including myself are in this unavoidable holding pattern and there is not a thing we can do about it. Here is the life lesson I guess, when the outcome of a situation is out of your control, like watching a vase, tipping off a table 20 feet from you, you can only hold your breath, and perhaps go look for the broom, because either way, you will likely have to do some cleaning up.
Moo Moo
Not sure what it was that got us on the topic in the car this week, but we talked about cheese. Specifically the kind in the little cellophane roll with the cow on the label. Yes the Laughing Cow cheese. The girls thought it was a very funny name for a cheese, and in true Carr girl performance fashion, they busted into little cow voices and started to fill the car with an enormous amount of at some point uncontrollable laughing and that on its own would have been something, but it was the fact that it was Laughing Cow Laughing, complete with MOO after MOO after MOO.
True Confession
I was a good teacher this week. Normally I am a great teacher but this week, I felt a little out of sorts, and not my usual self, and as a result, think I could have done much better in the classroom this week. This kind of self awareness comes only after years of teaching, and having so many people from my teaching past that I look up and that I can call on when I need to do better and I am putting it in print, and committing it to words, so that I can remind myself that I am only human and sometimes I can have a bad day, and the best thing to do is come back and do better the next time. So that is the plan. Next week I am going to channel the great ones from my life past, and come out swinging at school. I am going to pull a Big John, and a Michael. You might even see a Ron or a Peter in the class this week, and I can only say that my students will be the better for it.
Family
Happy Family Day! This is a long weekend in Ontario with the addition of the “Family Day” holiday, a couple of years ago. Not sure what we have planned to this point, but I do know it will involve spending time with a great family! Here is hoping you will have the time you want to hang out with your family too!
In Closing
Like many parents, we have cute little names we call the girls, and some just happened and some are modifications of other ones. One of the early ones for Jordyn was Moo-moo, then we shortened it to just Moom and she has allowed it for the most part, and is not a big fan of Jordie, Jordina or Jordina-Fina, some other we have used. Julia has been a B-G-B, Boolia, Buglia and Buggsy and is ok with just about anything we use to call her, but like anyone I guess would rather their actual name. Unless it is their full name, including the middle ones, like the one or two times this week (for both girls).
Have a great and safe week and thanks for reading!
James Fredrick, Jr Carr III (aka, Jim or Jimbo!)