From March 25

25 March – After my chance with Internet in the library it has been
non-functional for the rest of the week. I set it to dial for hours on
end and now all I get is a busy signal. I'm sure that's a metaphor for
something but I don't care. I just want the internet to work again.
Last night I tried to commit an unforgivable sin of literature, I
showed the kids Harry Potter 2 on video in lieu of reading the book.
However I was stifled by 70 of the worst behaved movie goers so I am
watching it this morning while I try once again to connect to the
Internet. I didn't intend to try the internet this morning but I
forgot to turn off my alarm and in spite of all that is good about
Saturday I was wide awake at 5:30 AM. Now I just have to finish
watching Harry Potter and reading Dr. Zhivago so I can read the third
and fourth installments of the Harry Potter series.

Yesterday I had hoped to get a hike to town but the teacher I was to
ride with ditched the entire day of school. I need to buy groceries
and more candy to sell from the library. In three days my library
workers sold about 300 pieces of candy and 40 lolly pops. After being
home the kids have money and they are ready to spend it. Why not
channel some of that towards the library? I didn't get to go to town
but it was for the best. After it rained all night on Wednesday some
people had tried to go on Thursday but turned back because the road
was too bad. Then on Friday at 12:30 the rain started and quickly
became a downpour. School ended but no one went anywhere. Some of the
kids made a run for it to get to their lunch but most decided to wait.
I had a bunch of papers and my camera and no umbrella so I had no
choice. By 1:30 all the learners and teachers had ventured out and I
was left with my bag watching the rain fall. Whats worse is that I
would have left my bad in the library and just got my clothes wet but
I had lent the library keys to a teacher who had disappeared. After an
hour and a half of unrelenting rain I rearranged my bag for least
possible damage, removed my shoes and socks and jogged home through
rain and several large puddles. Once I changed clothes I had a
wonderful afternoon reading and drinking coffee. I'm glad I didn't
read Dr. Zhivago when Yevtechenko assigned it in class and I am glad
to have read it now. One interesting thing is when the main
characters, Lara and Zhivago speak to one another, Pasternak doesn't
clarify who is speaking, you have to follow the dialog closely because
the characters voices blend together to show how close they are. Just
now I thought this quote was said by Zhivago, then I corrected myself,
thinking it was Lara speaking and then I realized that it was in fact
Zhivago.

"I don't think I could love you so much if you had nothing to complain
of and nothing to regret. I don't like people who have never fallen or
stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and of little value. Life hasn't
revealed its beauty to them."

25 March – Not having the Internet is harder now that I have had it.
I'm showing the kids Freaky Friday right now so I decided it was a
good time to write a little. My Friday, yesterday, was less than
perfect. At morning assembly I found out that two boys from my class
were caught making inappropriate comments to one of the girls. This is
the culmination of my class morphing into the worst in the entire
school. They started the year off great so I was hoping that they
would see the other classes being rewarded and band together to shape
up. Some of the kids are well behaved but there are several that are
almost out of control. Another teacher is dealing with this first
incident, but I had a serious talk with my class on Friday and plan to
babysit them for the rest of the term. Silence during study time,
strict attendance and punishment as necessary. I'm not sure what the
punishment will be but I think they will be doing a lot of cleaning or
their parents will get called into the office.

You know you've enjoyed a book when you are sad to finish it. I
polished off Dr. Zhivago this morning, partly because I wanted to keep
reading it and partly because I wanted to start the third Harry Potter
book.