05.28.2004 | 11:53 am

It will be six months this June 11, since my right knee was replaced. I have to say that this surgery has been, by far, the most difficult. I had been on pretty strong pain killers before the surgery, just so I could teach up until the time of the surgery. Those same medications did not half-way address the pain which I had after the surgery. There were some days I would go through handfuls of Lortab trying to get the pain under control. I was a nervous wreck! My doctor then prescribed Percocet, which did not help much either, but gave me a whomping headache every time I took it.

I went to therapy through January and February and did quite well. I was, however, getting pressure from the gal who was substituting my class. She wanted me back in the saddle more quickly that was really wise. I did go back half days for a week the last of February. The following two weeks were tough beyond words. I was wearing support stockings and new shoes by Clarks of England to help my legs and feet manage the endless days of being on my feet for six hours straight. The shoes and support hose seemed to make a difference. I had also lost about 40 pounds and had to purchase all new clothes for school, since nothing in my old wardrobe fit at all. Having new clothes and cute shoes does give a gal a lift, I will admit.

Then Spring break came. I really needed a break! I also had to do third term report cards. It was during this time that I began to realize how little work some of my students had been doing. Oh my....some of the third term grades were awful! Not only was work missing, but any form of decent behavior had completely taken a vacation as far as the young men of my class were concerned. But I had not been the teacher through the majority of the third term, so I determined I would simply improve the fourth term.

The last nine weeks of school have been like the �Never-ending Story.� Up at 5:00, slow to get going, pull and struggle with the support hose so my legs don�t give out during the day, eat a boring bowl of oatmeal, go to school, try to stay focused through the morning till the kids go to music or PE or something, climb the stairs, take the elevator when I�m not with the class, gobble down lunch, endure the endless afternoons filled with math, writing and Social Studies. By 3:30 I am wasted...drive home and sink into the vortex of the bed, never to rise until 8:00 to shower and fall asleep...and to rise once again to repeat the drudgery and pain of another day. My lack of stamina and concentration has been the worst of the problems. A teacher needs to have a consciousness of the needs of her students ALL the time. I felt that this just wasn�t happening most of the time. Many days I would have the kids work and work. I would take stacks of papers home to correct, never to look at them again. Oh so many wasted trees!

Suddenly, looming before me was the end of the year. How happy seemed the prospect! Little did I know the hidden pit-falls and treacherous peaks I would have to scale in order to reach the end? This year the lovely administration tripled our work load when it came to completing each permanent record file. In the past, all we had to do was fill out the attendance card, file a copy of their SAT 9 scores and final report card. This year we were to have a complete portfolio of writing and reading tests from throughout the year for each child. All these tests had to be filed, recorded in several places, and then painstakingly checked by the reading specialist before we were allowed to check out. I was feeling guilty and lazy the day before yesterday, because not only had I not recorded half these documents, but some of the dumb things were no where to be found! I was not the only teacher in the slowly sinking boat. We all bailed together, HARD, to paddle to shore before the tide went out. By four o�clock, I was happily driving home...finally finished with the most dreadful year of my teaching career!

I have not seen my babies in almost 9 months. This has been the most difficult of all my woes. I actually have to wait until July to head east. �The other grandparents� are going in June. Oh well. SO during the coming month I am going to try and watch all my old favorite movies, sew and clean a little, nap, pet the kitty, and generally rest. I will try to update more often.

catsnapples~ out of 2nd grade for the season

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