Thoughts on the school / Titanic connexion I can finally publish

There is that scene in "Titanic" near the end when the rich guys bodyguard warns that they better stop looking for the wayward wife and start concentrating on getting off the ship because (something to the effect of) 'things are starting to fall apart'.........I've always loved to use this allusion when describing the 'end of' period in a school before a vacation, be it Xmas (oops ! sorry ! 'Winter Break') or Easter (oops ! sorry ! 'Spring Cleaning') , or, of course, the big one, Pok-A-Tok (oops! sorry! 'Baseball Season'). What happens, especially @ the more challenged schools, is that the students start to take their vacations early-the more challenged, the earlier the vacation.

Totally stunned : when this first appeared to me. It wasn't the worst school I've ever been @ (it was the 3d worst), but the monday before Xmas they started to go. By Wednesday, I'd have 3-4 kids a class, so I'd just put up a sign on my door for the kids to go to Mr. M.'s, and we'd sit and chill the entire day. The kids enjoyed our company: they caught the friendship vibe about us. Kids like it when the teachers like each other. Good feelings always beget good feelings, unless 'jealousy rears its ugly head'.

This school, the one i'm @ now ?

I don't think a single kid has quit yet, and its late on a the Thursday.

Mr. M. and I were good frenz for the time we were colleagues, but he ended up moving to Cali. He had married a ghetto girl, and they would have vicious fites all the time. I hung @ their crib a lot: we'd go there after school, go downstairs to talk, jangle books, jackel looks, and the likes, then go upsatirs and play wit da kids. He had three, one born while we hung, and were very wilde. They were a lot of fun, and i miss the whole lot of them. Mr. M., i think, eventually got divorced

Mr. M. had the bad habit of never having money. Totally cash strapped, @ all times. I had to buy him drinks, food, etc... It was hard to say no, because i was rolling @ the time (no car, no bills, no mortage, no kids, cheap living = all into the bank). Worse ws the large cash lendings. I do not mind lending people $, as some know. Totally kool, since i know i'll get it back. But I had to lend this guy close to $2k @ times, and again and again. He eventually disappeared w/ $200 of mine. It's gone, and i'm fine wit that; he was a good friend otherwise.

Good luck, where-ever you are, M.