Life-long Learning

I am shifting some of my blogs away from prescription drugs and teens now that I am writing another novel. After the Tears Dry is a new adventure for me and I will cover that at another time. Right now, it is fun to shift to other things that
I am learning from my students and new women friends.

I am in the middle of my twenty-first year of teaching. I smile when I realize how much I learn from my students. Or better yet when I give advice to students that I still don’t follow myself. Just last week I said to a young woman, “Katy (not her real name), why are you here?” The dark circles under her eyes and the pallor of her skin coupled with a hoarse voice and runny nose told how miserable she was feeling. She looked at me and half smiled and said, “I have so much to do. I didn’t want to have to make up stuff too.” I offered that if she really could not cope anymore during the period she was in class with me to let me know and I would send her down to the nurse. She smiled and nodded her head.
I started to come down with the current cold or flu that is making its way through Kilbourne (where I work) last Saturday. This is the week of interims, parent conferences, the student-faculty game, and Annual Pancake Breakfast. Most high school weeks seem to be like this. I dragged myself to school yesterday when Katy looked at me and said, “K-Horn, why are you here?” I smiled and told her. I needed to make lesson plans and schedule things so I could take off tomorrow to sleep and get well myself. She nodded at me and said, ”Good.”
In years past I would tough it out. It usually would result in an upper respiratory infection, a horrible exhausting cough, laryngitis, and/or a few lectures from my husband. But this year brings another first. I am following my own advice. I am home during school hours. After sleeping 12 hours, going through at least one box of Puffs©, and letting a wonderful qualified substitute cover my classes for a day, I am feeling better. The result will be I will make all my parent conferences without spreading the Kilbourne Kold; I will not have been sharp with a class or kid, and I will still have been able to keep my classes on schedule or at least be able to bring them back on schedule if they miss something today. One thing though I will miss. I really love watching my colleagues play and usually beat the basketball intramural champs.