Middle School

A bit colder, but nothing dramatic.  From the details above, it’s obvious that I was really pulling a plow this morning.  The weather calls for sun this afternoon and no rain for three days.  Tomorrow, I may participate in a hike before the ground gets covered in snow.



On the head phones today was the tail end of a Left, Right, and Center chit chat about the election.  Bob stated my feelings pretty well when he said that he hopes Obama doesn't squander another opportunity like he did 4 years ago.  Bob started out by saying that there is a mandate to get rid of Timothy Gietner as head of something.  This might be a stretch because I think many people, like me, don’t know much about him.  I googled him so I could see how to spell his name and all kinds of pages came up calling for Obama to fire him—I think he is Sec. of Treasury or something.  Anyway, I hope that Obama finally sticks to his principles because the other side isn't going to budge.
The next story was This American Life—about Middle School.  It was a terrific episode, and made me more committed to a plan of attack that sees me working here in Moscow, or St. Petersburg, until the spring of 2014.  By that time, I will have 2 years of experience, AND a CELTA certificate, AND some good references (I hope), to take with me to wherever the boys end up.
         Why did a show about Middle School inspire such a decision?  Because in the spring of 2014, Maxim is going to finish 6th grade, and I want to be near him when he pulls into the full brunt of Middle School non-sense.
The show had many good bits.  I actually haven’t even listened to it all yet, but here is an 11-second clip that is fantastic.  One section had a TAL reporter look at the morning announcements.  This is a clip from one girl giving the weather.  I gave the morning announcements when I was a junior—past the troubled times of middle school (what was Jr. High at the time)—but I can definitely remember the ho-hum feelings.

Here is the link:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/449/middle-school?act=4