Oh, you're fine?

And me?

I'm just hollow.

Totally irrelevant...totally silly :)

sprinkle gun: hey there little one.
littlelibyan: hey there littler one
sprinkle gun: whats up?
littlelibyan: was goin on?
littlelibyan: the sky
littlelibyan: the ceiling
littlelibyan: birds
sprinkle gun: yes yes... forgot.
littlelibyan: (but don't look up at them)
littlelibyan: (they might drop something on you)
sprinkle gun: how are your classes going?
sprinkle gun: hahah
littlelibyan: they are going quite well
littlelibyan: thanks for feigning curiousity
littlelibyan: or encouragement
littlelibyan: or whatever you wanna call it
littlelibyan: oh yeah...feigning interest
sprinkle gun: your welcome
littlelibyan: :-)
sprinkle gun: =]
littlelibyan: *you are
littlelibyan: you're
littlelibyan: lol
sprinkle gun: sorry
littlelibyan: still a teacher aint i?
littlelibyan: lol
sprinkle gun: yeah
littlelibyan: the irony
sprinkle gun: we should do something over the break
sprinkle gun: my birthday is in 3 days
littlelibyan: i know dude
sprinkle gun: haha
littlelibyan: my kids are writing stories about a chex mix man they created
littlelibyan: you'll have to see it
sprinkle gun: yay!
sprinkle gun: okay.
sprinkle gun: cant wait.... they should made a cherrio woman
sprinkle gun: or dorrito lady
littlelibyan: interesting
sprinkle gun: or a cheeto girl
littlelibyan: 'run, run as fast as you can...you can't catch me I'm the chex mix man!"
littlelibyan: lol
sprinkle gun: hahaha
sprinkle gun: i had this brilliant idea about an hour ago
littlelibyan: about the cherio girl?
littlelibyan: lol
sprinkle gun: no no
littlelibyan: i c said the blind man
sprinkle gun: like i thought it would be cool, if i could say a speech on graduation
littlelibyan: to the deaf and dumb dog
littlelibyan: alrighty then
sprinkle gun: cause i have sooo much to say
sprinkle gun: and then
sprinkle gun: i wrote one
sprinkle gun: and i just finsihed it
littlelibyan: cool beans (like jack and the beanstalk)
sprinkle gun: yeah
littlelibyan: so are ya gonna pass it on?
littlelibyan: you can at least deliver it at the reception
littlelibyan: or such
sprinkle gun: the speech
sprinkle gun: ?>
littlelibyan: yeah dude
sprinkle gun: i dont know... i let you read it and then you can tell me what you think i should do
littlelibyan: kids just used the word: doubletake...cause I taught them that in class
littlelibyan: kinda silly
sprinkle gun: hahaha
littlelibyan: but yeah I'll read it
littlelibyan: yeah I'll tell you how brilliant you are
littlelibyan: :-)
sprinkle gun: hahaha.
sprinkle gun: why, thank you kind lady.
sprinkle gun: but, really i dont think im brilliant
littlelibyan: yes 'ma de-aahhhar'
sprinkle gun: lol
sprinkle gun: hmmm
sprinkle gun: what are you doing?
littlelibyan: helping kids with stories
sprinkle gun: oh
sprinkle gun: well, i am going to go.. call me over the break and maybe we can get together and do somehting.
sprinkle gun: asalamuahlakum!
sprinkle gun: i luh you.
littlelibyan: luh u 2 dude
littlelibyan: walaikum salam
littlelibyan: see ya soon baby june
littlelibyan: lol
littlelibyan: :-)
sprinkle gun: lol, yeah see you soon bafoon.
sprinkle gun: i dont think i spelled that right
littlelibyan: after while pedophile
littlelibyan: lol
littlelibyan: lol
littlelibyan: lol
littlelibyan: lol
littlelibyan: lol
sprinkle gun: hahhaah
sprinkle gun: well, poo on you.
sprinkle gun: ya foo.
littlelibyan: cool dude
sprinkle gun: yea..kbye.
littlelibyan: goo goo
littlelibyan: (dolls)
sprinkle gun: iris
littlelibyan: k buh bye
sprinkle gun: i love that song
littlelibyan: me 2
littlelibyan: dude
sprinkle gun: ahhh
littlelibyan: hasta luego
littlelibyan: sianara
littlelibyan: (is that how you spell it)
sprinkle gun: dont know.
littlelibyan: me either
littlelibyan: hence the reason i asked
sprinkle gun: ah
littlelibyan: chuckles
littlelibyan: *wave
littlelibyan: *blows kisses
sprinkle gun: xoxoxoxoxooxxoxoxoxo
littlelibyan: *hug in the air
sprinkle gun: bye me little libyan sista.
sprinkle gun: my*
littlelibyan: buh bye my littler syrian american sprinkle gun
littlelibyan: :-P
sprinkle gun:
littlelibyan: k fur real now
littlelibyan: see ya
littlelibyan: later
littlelibyan: fridgerator
sprinkle gun: aligator
sprinkle gun: peace.
littlelibyan: in the middle east
littlelibyan: hope
sprinkle gun: fo rizzle. tru dat.
littlelibyan: in the west coast
sprinkle gun is away at 3:04:43 PM.

Unbelievable!

The room is silent. All heads are bowed down in deep contemplation of problem number one. Some eyes dart to the ceiling as they rack their brain for the answers. Some hands are frantically marking answers as if in fear that the words would escape them otherwise. The room remains silent for many minutes as I weave in and out of the rows noting right and wrong answers.

Just as I have a seat at my desk, a hand shoots up. It is so still, so quiet, the raised hand almost seems to slice through the air.

"Are these REAL questions?" asks the child with confusion on his face.

And for the third time today I am answering this question. "Simply follow the instructions," I reply with a straight face.

These questions are easy freebies in reality. And more importantly, they are great ways to wind up a tense testing session. What would your answer be?

N. For the purpose of getting extra points, simply mark an answer to these very serious questions.

78. How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?
A. One
B. Three
C. Huh?
D. I don’t like tootsie pops.
E. Don’t have a clue; can’t remember this commercial

79. Where can one find the end of the rainbow?
A. In the desert.
B. You can’t.
C. I’m not telling. The gold’s all mine
D. Why do you ask?
E. Elementary, my dear Watson.

80. If you could pick your grade, what would it be?
A. Nothing less than an A+.
B. The usual: C+
C. I’ll settle for an ordinary A.
D. Grades? What? We have a test?
E. B+ is good enough for moi.

In all seriousness...

Muslimah: It just took me 2 hours to write a stupid test. I bet my students won't take that long to study. :) one more test for 8th grade to go and only 6th and 7th thereafter. woohoo :) life as a teacher is simply grand.

Cool3teach: Omg, teacher of the year! You should see my leg.

(NOTE: She fell in my classroom last night and totally hurt herself...I guess you can guess where)

Muslimah: Forget your leg, when do I get a plaque? Okay, I will settle for at least some oreas with a shot of dayquil. "I would like to thank all the little people I had to assign detention, all the littler people I skipped in the halls with, and all the parents I avoided like the plague. Without you all, I could never have made it this far." *tear*

(NOTE: I am getting over a cold hence the Dayquil. Plus I went over to her house this weekend and, the wonderful hostess she is, she served me a shot of Dayquil in a nice glass---the orangey-ness of it was beautiful...kinda like our friendship! :) lol)

Cool3teach: Not so fast on that acceptance speech, you're forgetting the competition, 3rd grade teacher in pollenation demonstration.

(NOTE: If you could see her very cute demonstration for pollenation you might vote for this creative chick. However, watching her get ready for the demonstration---she had to use her own spit to do it---was truly amazing...something out of 'Muslimah Teachers gone very WRONG" or the such...j/k.)

Gettin' there

I sat back in my chair sipping my second cup of sugar (with just a little bit of tea mind you). I listened half-heartedly, wishing to be anywhere but right here listening to the troubles of middle-aged women visiting on a Saturday afternoon. I did not betray my annoyance when asked me if I drank tea before my step-mom came around ("Because Americans like iced tea...oh, I forgot your father is Arab...") or when she asked me if my mother [Allah yarhamha] used to cut my hair short when I was young ("Not often? No wonder your hair is thinner than mine...") or when she asked me if I am on a diet ("Don't be embarassed! I'm dieting too!"). No, I just answered politely and kept my eyes on the children. But when the conversation turned to other things, I woke up.

"See all my grey hairs?"

I took a look. I responded in the fashion that was required of me:

"It's not really all that noticable," I reply. "Looks kinda like highlights." And it does, kinda.

I'm 22 and listening to a conversation about the best way to dye your grey hair. I listen to old wives' tales about how to stop your hair from turning grey. I listen as they make excuses for the grey hair on their head ("When I first moved to America, I was SO scared that I started having grey hair! If I hadn't been so scared I would have naturally dark hair. Fear really makes you age, and have grey hair."). I'm 22 and don't care if they have grey hair...and then something happened:

"Ohmigosh...I'm gonna have grey hair!!!"

I am 22, and what have I done??? Where has all the time gone? I'm gonna have grey hair!!! AHHHHHHHHH!

But wait.

Sometimes I think about my mom (Allah yarhamha). She died before she was 40 (at 39...only two months shy of 40). And if I were to die like her, I am already past the halfway marker. And if I die before that, then I really need to start shaping up. SubhanAllah, you never know. But something in me awakened after listening to them. I don't want to be them. I don't want to be like them.

I think I'll embrace whatever comes, when it comes. Maybe I'll be a cool grey headed person. Wait...I wear hijab. Who cares??? :)