bonding – Teachers Have Lives Too!

I’ve had this white dress for over a year and today was only the second time I’ve worn it. It’s been living unworn in my closet this whole time. I stare at it every once in a while, but that was about it until I saw this post by Cheetah is the New Black. I was inspired to pull it out and try something similar. I love the dress, but it’s white. That means I’m just asking for a big red stain. Which was exactly what happened today at lunch. I grabbed a sponge that is normally used for dissecting kits and trays, splashed some soap on it and managed to scrub the heck out of the stain. Semi success, enough to keep it still looking like a ‘nurse dress’ (Thanks, kid in 6th period, for that comment. Nothing wrong with looking like a nurse!)

Teachers have outside lives too that we have to remember to nurture. So this evening was pizza catch up night with Zhaoeezy (Ann). She was my photog and my comic relief for the night. Not to mention friend and pizza chef. Thanks Ann!

scarf: gift from Aimee, F21 – cardigan: hella old from Therapy in SF – belt and tights: J. Crew – dress and raincoat: Anthropoligie – boots: steve madden -tote: gift from my sis, Marc by Marc Jacobs

A few weeks ago, I went to a tree trimming party at my gorgeous friend Aimee’s house. Aimee teaches at the same high school as me (right above me actually on the infamous 3rd floor!) as do (or did) all the other lovely ladies. We had a blast of course, and managed to keep the teacher talk to a minimum.

Aimee has fab taste and decorates her tree with a bird theme. I stole one of those birds and made myself a new fascinator. But then maybe pirate look was better?

We are all teachers, and we all have super interesting things to say. some of the things said that night would probably scandalize a good percentage of americans. especially when said teachers play scandalous games. Cards Against Humanity. I highly recommend it. B bought the set off of kickstarter.com a while ago and it’s been the go to game for every party. It helps us old fogey teachers stay on top of all the popular disgusting things out there.

My friends are just a sampling of how dedicated and talented teachers can be. They work long hours and invest themselves physically, and even more so, emotionally in their classrooms. They are all amazing educators who strive to make a difference every day. Day to day we are faced with daunting, discouraging, bureaucratic and social problems that are too immense to tackle by ourselves. We combat these soul crushing adversities through support, hugs, and a bit of alcohol. =) My ex-parter-in-bio-teaching Ann calls it trauma bonding and I’ve yet to hear a better descriptor.

bottom row: nicole (ELD formerly known as ESL), Alexis (SpED), Anne (English) top row: me (Bio/health/Physiology), Aimee (ELD/English), Jen (English). Missing from the photo was Ann, aka Zhaoweezy (bio/physiology). ❤

The boys are not teachers, but they are teacher lovers. I know this because they love us. They are the ones who clean up the emotional messes we bring home with us. They are also the ones who bask in our glow when we have success. They give us encouragement, affirmations, and they tell us constantly that they are proud of us and our work. Everyone needs that kind of support regardless of what the day job is, and I’m thankful that we have these dudes to help fill that role (among other roles).

On to some pictures of what we wore! fashion helps make us happy. There is no better time than a holiday party to bust out the new dresses!

earrings made by me – cardigan and necklace: f21 (not-so-secret-santa gift from Alexis) – dress, lipstick and belt: j.crew – over the knee socks: urban outfitters – booties: nine west