A Hairy Situation...

At Viewmont High School we (Kristin, me, the Shannon's) have three defining moments of our three years since we started.

The first happened during our first year. It was the attack of the Gremlin. The special ed student who growls, talks with a scratchy voice, comes randomly into your class, and if you catch her at the wrong moment you might be clawed by her. She wanders the school going wherever she wants whenever she wants. She has walked into Kristin's room and asked everyone in the room to their face what their name was and thenattacked Kristin's computer by slamming her fists onto the computer. One student offered to take her to where she was supposed to be and the student came back with claw marks all over her neck. She walked across the gymnasium floor as a student was giving a political speech. She walked right in front of him unaware that there was anything going on. The crowed gasped in fear. She popped her head in Kristin's room asking the class what they were doing in the middle of Student Body Officer speeches. She terrifies Kristin, and makes me laugh.

The second happened during year two - it was two separate instances with similar traits. The first happened to Shannon L. She wandered into the faculty womens restroom and another teacher was in there with the stall door wide open. Did she screech and close the door? While making you wonder why she'd have the door open in the first place, this move would have been preferred to what really happened I am sure. She kept the door open and carried on a conversation with Shannon as though nothing was strange or going on. Shannon left terrified. The second bathroom incident was for me. I walked into the boys bathroom and heard a student on the phone in the stall. The door makes a horrible sound when it is opened so he had to know I came in. He was doing his business on the toilet and carrying on the strangest conversation with someone on the phone. I only remember two comments 1. "I used to like to look at you when you poop." and 2. "Do you think she likes me?" How those two statements go together or should be said at all is beyond me. I quickly walked out and hesitate to go in there now.

Now third year and a third surprise. It will probably not be the only one but hey - it is a goody. The other day a student brought in a book, Of Mice and Men, to Kristin. He told her it wasn't his book but his sisters from a couple years ago and he apologized. Kristin accepted the book. The student left and Kristin examined the book for problems. Oh? Whats this? A little surprise? Scroll back up to the picture at the top of this post and see if you can see it emerging from the middle of the book.

Yup a clump of frizzy hair was extending its reach from the depths of page 83 like a person drowning trying to get air. Kristin has a weak stomach and the wrong thing said or the wrong scent of Cafe Rio or some other smell that is an "unknown" comes her way she will begin to dry heave, near vomit, and usually will scream and end up running to the bathroom for safety sake.



When I came into the room later that day and was chatting with Kristin she brought the book out with the greatest of care. She tossed it in my general direction to have me look at what hairy surprise was in store about the time Lennie broke the head of the dog (reference to the story, btw). There it was jaggedly sprawling itself from within the book and spreading it's proverbial legs into the air outside. I laughed and this is what ensued shortly thereafter:



As I tossed it on the floor we decided to open the book and see what was inside. How far did this hairy situation go? How much of this poor girls locks were stored for safe keeping inside this tale of depression sadness? And the question no one wanted to ask out loud. Where - exactly - was this hair from? Blech....

I opened the book using the hair-clump sized separation in the paper guide me to the page the surprise was hiding. I opened it up and sure enough just when Lennie was about to place his hands over the mouth of Curley's wife we had a eye full of our own "Curley's":



The book was kept for one day to show the Shannon's. But then it was quickly thrown away. It is on its way to the city dump right now. I will never look at a book, particularly Of Mice and Men again.

Disgusting.

Oh the life of a teacher....more to come. I'm sure.