Teacher Conference

Today is the first day of annual teacher conferences, so all schools are closed. That means I get two days off.* Yippee.

I spent part of the day today with Sally babysitting the young'uns, Bella and Gabby. In my other identity as Grandpa Flashbulb I took a few pictures, and you, you lucky devils, you get to see a couple of them.







Bella shared a corndog with Sally.


Gabby did two or three things she does best: sleep, then wake up and look cute. Eat, sleep, poop. The life of a baby. Then you get old and it happens again. Sigh.

*******

Teachers are very special people, but you know that already. If you're reading this, then you had a teacher. I wonder how many of them actually go to their conferences, though? Since I'm not a teacher I don't have to do anything but stay home or leave town. No meetings for me. I'm sure some of the teachers, especially from the more rural school districts, travel to the capitol city for meetings, get-togethers and ideas.

I heard years ago that sometimes rural teachers like to come to Salt Lake and check into motels with their lovers, but that wouldn't really happen, would it? Years ago I ran into this cartoon from a Mad Magazine calendar and it made me laugh.

Click on pictures for larger images.

When she saw it, one of my teacher friends told me it was true: She said when she's in meetings she looks around at how the other teachers are dressed and thinks, "We'll never get anywhere until we start looking more professional."

And speaking of teachers looking professional, who knows what that is anymore? Dress codes kind of went out the window when the baby boomers took over as teachers and administrators in schools. The former president of our school district's teacher union was a very sexy woman who taught upper grades in elementary school. I saw her once in a grocery store, shopping with her husband. She had on a tight top, shorts that barely covered her butt, and platform high-heeled sandals. I saw her wear a similar outfit in school, and once when I saw her at the teacher union offices. But, that was a few years ago, and she's toned down her outfits quite a bit. Maybe she got some flak about her former manner of dress. Nowadays she tends to wear ankle-length skirts, loose sweaters, and low-heeled boots or Mary Janes to work. Maybe when she was teaching in the sexy outfits the kids in her class were getting the kind of education she hadn't planned on.

Ciao for now, El Postino

*That means that in 30 years of working for the school district I've gotten 60 days--or two months--off, just for these conferences. I should also count the 24 days I got when I went through 12 years of the public school system. In 42 years I've gotten damn near three months off! Thanks, teachers!