Askew To You: Volunteer, Reporting For Duty

I've been busy volunteering at Sarah's school. Last night I worked a short shift at the Book Fair, held during Open House, and this morning I worked the Jogathon.

This was my first time working the Book Fair, usually I just shop it. I love books. I really, really love books, and I've tried to share that love with my girls. They like books, but they really prefer this kind of thing:

They love pens and fuzzy pencils and funny shaped erasers. I stood behind that case - that's only a small section of it - and talked to all the kids about their purchases. It was a blast. Back behind the counter we had even cooler stuff - pencils with troll heads or little fuzzy cats and dogs (fuzzy is a big thing with kids) that you can pull off and put in your pocket (pocket treasures!), there were Bobby Jack pens, and more pencils with pom poms at the end. Apparently, bendy pencils were hot this year - we sold out of them before the Open House even started. Who knew?!

I wanted plenty of time to explore Sarah's room, as this year her teacher hasn't been interested in having me volunteer in the classroom. Bay had the same teacher, when she was in the 4th grade. She's a funny lady. She complains a lot - she complains about the kids and rolls her eyes, she complains about the parents, when Bay was in her class she told me she went to school to become a teacher because she knew she could do a better job than her daughter's teachers were doing. Bay loved her. Sarah still loves her 3rd grade teacher.

Wait, what was my point........... see that would really make Mrs. H roll her eyes........ Oh yeah, I wanted Sarah to look around and make her selections before I was finished with my shift, so we could get to her class quickly. It's not easy to pick a book when you've got so many choices. This was only a teeny tiny part of the Fair:

Sarah ended up with two books about a Vet's office (she wants to be a vet) . She went back today and got a poster and two book marks - including one for me, it's a photo of the Moon. I love the Moon.

Today I reported for duty at the Jogathon, which is a yearly fundraiser. I have worked it every year, for the past 9 years. First I worked it for Bay and now I work it for Sarah. They placed me with another class, because none of the parents from that class volunteered. I like doing Sarah's class, but I know all the kids, so it's fun no matter what. The class I worked is a 4/5 combo class. There's a big difference between 4th graders and 5th graders - especially when it comes to the girls. Some of those 5th grade girls act like they are 13 and cool. They are more like 11 and mean. I've worked at the school long enough that I can remember when these same girls were in the 3rd grade and still sweet. Oh well, they are going to get worse, before they get any better. Fortunately, there are always some funny boys around to lighten the mood:

Sarah's class was stationed to the left of us. Her teacher was great with the kids, leading their stretching and warm-up. She did this growling thing that cracked up even the 5th grade girls in my group. Mrs. H is a runner. One event I know she attends is the Bay to Breakers run in San Francisco. I hear that some people run this one nude. I doubt that she does, but just the thought of a naked hippie running past her makes me smile. Here's a shot of Sarah and her Posse - Serena and Carma. Serena is a little naughty - she threw Sarah's toothbrush onto the floor of a bathroom stall (GROSS!). Carma is very calm and laid-back. Can you guess which girl is which? I was so lucky - my battery was on red and I was able to catch 3 running shots. Yay!!! I love to see kids run. As they finish a lap, they stand in front of you and you make a check on a sheet of paper stuck to their back. In the beginning, they run really hard, but near the end, they get a bit droopy and their papers are all warm and moist. Sometimes they start running before you are done writing and you have to run a few steps to finish. I love to say, wow, great job, I'm impressed! They respond well to the praise and then when they come around they really dig in and give a big push as they run into the pit stop. It's so much fun.