Age over Beauty. (Not the story of a Gold Digger)

Ms. H is in your face. Big time. She must be only 5 feet 2 inches tall when she is stretching up to her full height. She fills out horizontally almost as much. She has been teaching in rough areas of Houston for 23 years. She must be between 40- and 50 but has a sort of age-less energy that creates an interesting contrast to her from-the-block/been-there-done-that sassy wisdom. To me she epitomizes archetypally the sassy black woman.

When she talks I listen, half out of intrigue and half out of pure terror of what might happen if I didn't. Ms. H came and joined our CS training sessions for the last 3 days of institute in the same way that Lebron James might join a fourth grade in house girls basketball league.

She was my partner for the last 3 days of institute. Right away I knew I was out of my league and I loved it. We would play role-playing games to learn how to interact with difficult parents, principals and students. While the rest of my corps members role played with each other to easy outcomes and text book results, Ms. H made my afternoons a train wreck of learning and amusement washed down with a healthy dose of embarrassment and humility. In our role playing sessions she would run circles around me as angry parents, stressed out grandparents, gang member kids, and authoritarian principals. Then as we wrapped up and the timer rang she would look around her and hoot a bunch of times and say "he thought he had me that time!! you thought you had me!!! woooohhhh!!! Wuuheeeeee!!!! Boy you shoulda seen your face!!! You didn't see that coming!!" Ms. H would laugh and laugh and i would turn more and more red and get frustrated, but at the same time I realized that I was gaining way more from testing my problem solving and mediation against her than some other scared corps member from Berkley. Still I couldn't figure out why she had picked me as her pet Corps Member to pick on/ work with. On the last day of institute I found out.

I was walking down the hallway wearing my "thinking cap" that i used when teaching science. She stopped me and said "Mr. B. I wanted to thank you for working with me the last few days. My first husband was an Irish guy from Boston and your energy and flair reminded me of him. Keep up your earnest effort and sass and you will do great!" In my mind the scene kept rolling and we hugged, she told me I was a one in a billion teacher and she was honored to know me. We talked of Irish things, I referred to Ireland as the old country, and eventually we bumped into each other 15 years down the road while I was receiving a teaching award and she told me she learned a lot from me those three days in the library. She only hoped I learned as much as she did. In actuality she said. "That hat looks great on you. Remember to record everything or you will be eaten alive. You've got a good head, but need to keep records or you flounder and look terrified. See you later."

Well Ms. H- I learned a lot from you. Thank you.


Institute wrapped up neatly. The kids had fun the last day, wrote their big goals for the next year, promised to read every night and Adalberto gave me a really awkward hug. It was precious. I then moved all my stuff to my new apartment, watched Harry Potter (two thumbs up!), bought furniture from Target, drank beer/assembled furniture, and then caught a flight to MN. Here I am in my parents' house reflecting on the last couple days of institute and ecstatic that i get to see Chris in less than 12 hours!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God he is home safe and sound.