All in a day's work...

I left school to get Kristen and go on a Dunkin Donuts run at 630 this morning and on my way out I ran into Brother Ralph Heppe -- he was as usual, beautifying the block that the school is on by cleaning all the litter and such. I said G'morning and headed out. !/2 an hour later, Kristen and I pulled up and got out of the car carrying little white Dunkin Donuts bags, some coffee, and some munchkins as we hollered a further G'morning to Brother Ralph.

Well, Brother Ralph looks to us, says good morning, and asks "Drug Run?" Thing of it is, I heard "Drunk Run?" I very seriously responded, "No, that'll be tomorrow." (Because Ross, Kristen, Alberto, and I plan on celebrating Fat Tuesday this evening.) Brother Ralph then says, "Ah good! Ash Wednesday is the perfect day for a drug run!" This time I heard him correctly, Kristen and I looked at each other and started laughing, both of us quite amused. Only Brother Ralph my friends. Only Brother Ralph.

Do you think he thinks the DD bags were full of drugs? Hmmm....

Smooth Talkers...

Hey everyone~

I just thought you guys would love to hear this story. It's about one of our 8th grade boys, Cameron. Cameron is the 8th grade boy that all the girls at the center are going crazy over. They all think he is the cutest thing, yet they are always mad at him because he is constantly saying the wrong thing. Here's just a typical example of what he said to Br. Robb last nite.


Br. Robb- Cameron you can't tell girls they are chunky or have chunky cheaks. It's like calling them fat.
Cameron - No, no. It's okay cus its a compliment.
Br. Robb - How is chunky a compliment?
Cameron - See Br. Robb you're chunky and Br. Anthony's fat.

Oh what a night...

I just wanted to show you how much the Brothers take care of me here in Providence. We went on our Re-CAP for a weekend in Cumberland, Rhode Island. It was supposed to be a nice little weekend away at a lodge. Well...we ended up in a nursing home for retired nuns. After setting off the hospital alarm and getting used to the fact that you had to punch in alarm codes to get out of all doors within 15 seconds, the Brothers got to stay in the priest's quarters. You may wonder where I got to lay my pretty little head...Well, I enjoyed a night in the nursing home across the hall from a Sister with high blood pressure. They introduced me to her at around 10pm that night so she wouldn't be frightened to see me there. Needless to say, it was not a restful night. The nurse who was making my bed tried to convince me to be a nun since it was an "honorable thing" and proceeded to tell me her father was a Trappist before he married who later became angry with God. Someone came in to empty my garbage and mop at around 6 am, just like in a hospital. I heard toilets flushing all night. We made it to the lodge the next day. But here lies the quesiton, why don't they put this in the LV brochures?..."Come be an LV...you may have the chance to spend the night at a nursing home facility..."

A little prayer goes a long way

Hey fellow LV's...I received an e-mail from Anwar Martinez (LV 2003-2005) this morning and in it he asked me to let you all know the following:

*****"If you have a chance, would you let the 2005-2006 LV know that I wish them the very best and that there's a former LV that constantly thinks of them and wishes he could have done a third year?"

Pace,
-anwar--
"Love touches us spontaneouslyand it makes us spontaneous."-B. of Clairvaux*****

Oh and, I apologize my post before this one was so darn long...I just started writing and the next thing that I knew, I had written nine miles of craziness.

Much love,
Jolleen

Not in this classroom

Here's a little story about a teacher who kept her calm, and a student who didn't want her to...

Deron is one of the bigger kids in my class and when he gets going, he has a temper that could scare away an angry herd of juvenile elephants. Well, apparently, yesterday was -- or wasn't -- his day. As Formation class ended, the Minister allowed Deron and multiple other students to make a bathroom run. As they headed out into the hallway, the other classroom of 7th grade students was emptying into it from the gym. Things started to get loud as I attempted to bring my Reading class (which Deron was supposed to be in) under control. So, I stepped into the hall and gently herded all of my students out of the noise and into class. Deron -- wasn't having it.

"I need to go to the bathroom." he stated, as loud as the noise. I responded by telling him that I will allow him to go to the bathroom once the halls have cleared, but for now I need him in reading.

"MAN!!! This is..."

I responded by reminding him that he wasn't in trouble but that he needed to come into the room and we'll take it from there.

"But I gotta go now!"

"Well Deron, you were messing around with the girls, not in the bathroom, if you had been in the bathroom we wouldn't even be talking about this."

He walks through the doorway, by me, across the room, and proceeds to shove an empty chair back across my room. Now he has the attention of every student in my room, and their all looking at me, waiting for a reaction as he goes and sits on top of his desk. Not as his desk, not in his chair, ON TOP OF HIS DESK.

This is me, reeeeal quiet like: "Deron, please come here." (No response as he sits on his desk.)

"Deron, come here please." (No response as he still, sits on his desk.)

"Deron..." (Still, nothing.)

"Deron, out of respect for you I do not want to have this conversation in front of our class, please step outside of the room." (Deron, tough as a brick wall, continues to sit.) Before I could even fully grasp what was coming out of my mouth I said to my class, "7A please line up."

Ou it was serious now, and I didn't even have a clue. I'm standing there, wondering whoa! what'd I just say? as all of my students very silently, and in the most organized fashion they've ever accomplished, lined up. I turned to the science teacher who happened to be in the room and politely asked her to take them on "a bathroom break...or something." And she did. And then Deron and I were alone in the room.

Now what? Good Lord! I'm not even sure, I do know, I let him stay where he was, and I kept my distance, but I engaged him in a conversation about the bathroom, what it meant to be in trouble, why he was now in trouble, disrespect, class disruption, and who knows what else came between us. Engaged. Amazing. I couldn't believe it. Before long, Deron knew his punishment, got to go to the bathroom, and by the end of the day we were laughing together like I didn't kick 13 kids out of my room instead of him.

Strange.

ski trip