Further adventures of Rocketbride: May 26, 2003.

I don't care if you don't want me cause I'm yours yours yours anyhow

may 26, 2003.

Weird Things People Tell You When You're Pregnant
parts 1 & 2 of a continuing series
1.
There's a weird woman who substitutes for us once in awhile. Not that I have a problem with weird per se, I tend to cherish oddity - especially in such an over-controlled environment. This woman, however, exceeds even my standards for weird. When she covers for a class, she'll like as not spend the entire period talking about how aliens abducted her and removed the back part of her skull. Last time she was in the school, she sent a kid to the office for laughing at this story.
Anyhoo, I usually run into her in the lunchroom. A few weeks ago, we were sitting around talking about books and I mentioned that I'm reading more since I've been ill every single bloody night for the past two months (not that I'm bitter or anything). She asked why, I dropped the bomb, and she told me that nausea is my body's way of getting rid of toxins in the early stages of pregnancy. Then she told me that I should stop my child from being inoculated, because routine vaccinations have been linked to autism.
Oohhhhhh kay.
2.
Today I wore one of Stacy's black babydoll dresses to work. Before classes began, I was slouched in front of the computer, printing off a mark set. The union rep behind me cleared her throat.
"Rocketbride, I need to give you a bit of motherly advice."
"Um...sit with my legs together?"
"You have to stop wearing tights or other clothes that bind across the middle. It hurts the baby's innards."
(Is my baby inside out & stuck to my belly? Did reproduction come to a halt during the 3+ centuries when women wore corsets?)
All together now: Oohhhhhh kay.

I told a kid to shut up today. I had suffered a headache for 36 hours and counting; we were getting ready to continue Act 1, Scene 2 of The Diary of Anne Frank; I was giving instructions; then he interrupted and whined, 'aww, I don't wanna read.' Before I could stop myself, I had told him to shut up [because] he'd done nothing but whine since the play began. After the giddy rush wore off, I felt terrible. I had just broken every rule of good teaching. Not that I've never done it before, but I've never singled out a student in the middle of a lesson. My temper got out of control, and in less than a second the damage was done.
I apologized. I kind of had to.
I also started crying during the opening scene of Romeo + Juliet. Pregnancy has put me at the absolute mercy of my emotions. This weekend I watched the Buffy episode "The Body," and I didn't stop crying until well past the end credits.

One final note: my big news has leaked to C. Thomas Flood. He wants me to tell the administration because, "they take such good care of us." I told him that I was holding off another week on the advice of my doctor, my midwife and the union rep. I might as well have saved my breath.
They take such good care of us. That's why I've received threatening messages on my home answering machine, a never-ending evaluation and a terribly biased report from first semester. That's why every problem I've taken to the office has been interpreted as a sign of weakness.
They can blow me. I'll tell when I'm damn good & ready.

Booty Call: Day 80 - Your little one's vocal cords develop ... AGOOOOO! And another change has taken place -- your baby's intestines are now contained within the abdomen.


	may 26, 2003. Weird Things People Tell You When You're Pregnant parts 1 & 2 of a continuing series 1. There's a weird woman who substitutes for us once in awhile. Not that I have a problem with weird per se, I tend to cherish oddity - especially in such an over-controlled environment. This woman, however, exceeds even my standards for weird. When she covers for a class, she'll like as not spend the entire period talking about how aliens abducted her and removed the back part of her skull. Last time she was in the school, she sent a kid to the office for laughing at this story. Anyhoo, I usually run into her in the lunchroom. A few weeks ago, we were sitting around talking about books and I mentioned that I'm reading more since I've been ill every single bloody night for the past two months (not that I'm bitter or anything). She asked why, I dropped the bomb, and she told me that nausea is my body's way of getting rid of toxins in the early stages of pregnancy. Then she told me that I should stop my child from being inoculated, because routine vaccinations have been linked to autism. Oohhhhhh kay. 2. Today I wore one of Stacy's black babydoll dresses to work. Before classes began, I was slouched in front of the computer, printing off a mark set. The union rep behind me cleared her throat. "Rocketbride, I need to give you a bit of motherly advice." "Um...sit with my legs together?" "You have to stop wearing tights or other clothes that bind across the middle. It hurts the baby's innards." (Is my baby inside out & stuck to my belly? Did reproduction come to a halt during the 3+ centuries when women wore corsets?) All together now: Oohhhhhh kay. I told a kid to shut up today. I had suffered a headache for 36 hours and counting; we were getting ready to continue Act 1, Scene 2 of The Diary of Anne Frank; I was giving instructions; then he interrupted and whined, 'aww, I don't wanna read.' Before I could stop myself, I had told him to shut up [because] he'd done nothing but whine since the play began. After the giddy rush wore off, I felt terrible. I had just broken every rule of good teaching. Not that I've never done it before, but I've never singled out a student in the middle of a lesson. My temper got out of control, and in less than a second the damage was done. I apologized. I kind of had to. I also started crying during the opening scene of Romeo + Juliet. Pregnancy has put me at the absolute mercy of my emotions. This weekend I watched the Buffy episode "The Body," and I didn't stop crying until well past the end credits. One final note: my big news has leaked to C. Thomas Flood. He wants me to tell the administration because, "they take such good care of us." I told him that I was holding off another week on the advice of my doctor, my midwife and the union rep. I might as well have saved my breath. They take such good care of us. That's why I've received threatening messages on my home answering machine, a never-ending evaluation and a terribly biased report from first semester. That's why every problem I've taken to the office has been interpreted as a sign of weakness. They can blow me. I'll tell when I'm damn good & ready. Booty Call: Day 80 - Your little one's vocal cords develop ... AGOOOOO! And another change has taken place -- your baby's intestines are now contained within the abdomen.