Get Off My Lawn!

I think I'm a pretty patient person. I can talk down a crying, panicking kid. I'm great with any kid young, old, or even adult coming to my house to Trick or Treat.

There somethings I will only put up with, for a little while.

Travis came home from Isaak's basketball practice last week saying, "I just can't stand the older kids getting in the way of Isaak's practice!" I asked if he said something? He replied with, "No it's not my job."

Who's job is it than? Coaches at the Y don't get paid. When I went to Isaak's basketball practice this week; I made it my job to say something. I said something 3 or 4 times actually.

I let the older kids shoot for about 5 minutes into my son's practice. Then I said, "Hey guys could you kindly not shoot hoops, or bounce the ball, while these guys have practice. It's hard for the coach to talk, while you do that. We're paying for the gym right now." They looked at me like, Really lady!?

They left. Then they came back again. Their body language was like they want to flip me off. I said something again much more stern.

Two of them proceeded to dribble the ball up, down, and around the curtain. Every time looking at me. I got up, and sat down on the floor, right by the curtain.

Then much older guys came in to use the gym. They actually started out pleasant by asking when the gym would be open. Ten minute later they grew tired of waiting, and didn't just play in the practice space, but dunked the ball several times. The younger kids saw this, and lost total respect to join them. I went over and said, "Can you guys do this later? My son, and his team are in practice? The coach can't even talk to the team." One of the older guys said, "We're not distracting!" As he was hanging off the net of the hoop. I said, "Ya you kind of are!" The coach piped up and said, "Ya you are. Play later."

Once another Mom sat down, for the next practice I asked if the older kids were a problem the week before. She said, "Yes! Our coach had to cuss them out by saying, 'Get the hell out of here!'" 

As I left the Y, I told the staff up front about the punk kids. 

Isaak said, "Mom my friend James said, 'Your Mom must really not like those kids!', but he was happy you said something." 

I said, "Isaak it's not that I don't like them. I don't know them. I just want you and your team to have a good practice you can hear. I'm paying for you to learn. Next time I should just sit right under the net."

These are things that came to my mind:

I used to be so shy, but with being a teacher I got over that! I don't believe respect for older people is always needed, but instead respect the situation. An asshole adult may not deserve respect. Maybe I was that asshole adult that day. I started with asking nice. It was my son's team that was paying for the space. 

It isn't just the punks showing up on the court, when my son's team was in basketball practice...

It's also my own students. I have for the most part the best student ever. I have three that horse around in lab. Ok, so it's their time to work. If they don't want to do that, their loss. The same three all get on their cellphones when I'm in lecture. I stopped my lecture to say something. I just haven't been in the mood to put up with disrespect. 

What's something you can't tolerate? I believe we all have breaking points. 

Random Tid Bits

1. I was told the other day by one of my first year students that I cuss. I said, "Really?!" I admit that I do at home, but it's not a regular occurrence for me in class. I said, "I don't think I've said anything that's worse than regular TV airs." She said, "Probably."
   
   
   
   
   Now I'm all self conscious about what I say and how it's said. It will probably show up on my evaluations. I mentioned this to the Education Director. She laughed because cussing isn't something I do at work. At home - yes, at work it's not. It's nothing I would have thought that a college instructor would have to worry about. Maybe, Damn, Dang, and Crap are cuss words to her.


2. Last year I saw an article about how cussing is good for you. I thought of my Dad, who cusses all the time. Then when all the above stuff happened I thought about it again. Here's an article, here's an article, and here's an article. Do you cuss? Do you think cussing is healthy because it blows off steam? Does cussing offend you?
   
   It offended me a few times - 1) When students cuss and a family tour walks through the school. Ummm that just can't happen! 2) I went to a lecture on typography, and the presenter was really pregnant and cussed the whole time. I just thought for a presentation to lay down the F word wasn't becoming. It's different if she was trying to make a point with her choice words, but she wasn't. Seeing her prego and hearing her cuss was just not new Mommy like. 


3. I have a few cell phone user students. I don't mind if they use it in lab, but while I'm talking it's so annoying! I've made blanket statements about it. The crazy thing is that my older students are the ones I have more problems with on cell phone usage. 


4. A teacher was telling Mica's middle school class rules. She said, "Girls I don't want to see your twin sisters." She was talking about cleavage - boobs. I got home that say and Mica said, "Mom don't show your twin sisters." I didn't know what he was talking about. They had to tell me. 


5. You never know who's going to see this, that or the other. Well Mica saw this bumper sticker on our trip: 






Buy it here.

It was was so freaking funny to him. He made all of us check out this car in the parking lot. We've always joked about Mica liking Hello Kitty just to mess with him. Most boys do pay attention to boobs.

Random Tid Bits

1. It's been rainy late at night and early in the morning for a few nights and mornings lately. I take these photos when I just hit a stop light that just turned red through my windshield, or while I'm getting gas.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   It tends to clear up quickly, for a sunny day. I was asthma free, since the spring. Now I'm feeling it again. I'm trying to stay on top of it with my daily inhaler that I wasn't taking when I didn't need it. No real attacks, just a heavy chest. 


2. We went out to eat last night. That's not something we do often. Travis said, "So the boys and I got new clothes, but you didn't get any." I said, "Well we have a choice...1) We could take the boys home, and leave them there. 2) We could take them with us, since we're 1/2 the way to Kohl's. We took them with us. They weren't bad, but giggly and talkative. Travis was getting so annoyed. I've been there. I was actually glad they were happy, and not complaining the whole time.


3. A sale's clerk and I really cracked up when Mica said, ""Dang woman! You look good." I thought, Maybe it's good I have these boys with me if he keeps talking like that! I tried on a bright pink shirt. Mica said, "Wow you look like a pretty, pink flamingo." The sale's clerk laughed again!


4. A thing came up in the news that said kids shouldn't have cell phones until they are 14 or 15. I voiced my opinion. I think it depends on the kid, and situation that kid is in. If a kid is dropped off by their parent everyday to school, and they have a landline then they don't need a cell phone. The bus system last year didn't do so well, Mica has to walk 4 blocks to the stop in a city, so I felt like it was needed. We found an app to track him. We also don't have a landline, so again it's important to have one. It's good for him to be able to look things up for school.
   
   Our kids have never had a game system, so they aren't glued to having screen time. We've taken Mica's charging station, and moved it to the kitchen. Then he isn't playing apps or texting his friend at night.
   
   On the news report - facebook thread there were some people that jumped in saying, "They shouldn't have a phone until they can pay the bill." I just think it depends on the situation your family is in. What are your thoughts?


5. I have a student in first year that has an A- in one of her classes (not mine), and she was panicking. She's going to have to get over that. That's part of the struggle here. They all come from high schools where they all got A's in their art classes. They all can't get A's.