Shopping Tips and Guidance by Mandy Claire

Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" Canape, anyone? No? How about some pickled pigs' feet?

Today the students at my school sprinted out to their buses, headed for summer vacation. I too thought I would get a little reprieve, in which I intended to read up on teaching skills, create models for my classroom, etc. And of course I was looking forward to blogging and reading your blogs and all that! Teaching is known for its summer vacations, after all.

Instead, at 8:00 in the morning of the final day of the school year, I learned that I will be expected to attend seminars three days a week, beginning July 7 and lasting through the rest of the summer. I will be paid for these seminars, but they are not open to negotiation. I should have been told about them two months ago, but my division supervisor (who was fired this spring) never mentioned them to me.

Bit of a nasty shock. Until I took stock and recalled that I have a job. It's not the "Tab A fits into Slot B" perfect job for me, but it's a job. So I get one week off and then go back to work in the "Rigor and Excellence" workshop for first-year teachers.

Why am I feeling like I'd rather go to the "Rigor (Mortis) Is Excellent" workshop for buzzards?