Rant # 2. As of late, this army of strange insects has been lurking around my yard, just waiting for me to open my door so they can fly in to my lovely and preferably insect-free home. These bugs resemble mosquitos, but I think they only look like mosquitos, as I have yet to show any trace of mosquito bites. Usually, those things are drawn to me like I am drawn to the nearest mall. The only comical part of this is that Stella (my pit bull) has observed me trying to kill these bugs and has decided to help me in my endeavors. She has made somewhat of a game out of jumping into the air and catching these bugs in her mouth with one fell swoop of her giant pit head. Good dog.
Rant # 3. I spent practically my entire weekend (other than that one night that i might have ventured out to Taco Mamacita with the bf for a tasty mojito) writing my trial brief, which I had to do in lieu of a final in-class exam. The idea sounded nice at the time, but I must have forgotten my procrastination habits. It. was. miserable. The bright side: two finals down, two to go, and then I am officially a 2L!! :)
Really Long Rant # 4. Sooo, my mom teaches an inner city ministry class at the church that my family attends. I taught the class with her for a couple of years, but the class meets on Monday nights, which now conflicts with law school. Boo. Anyway, she and another lady have been teaching the class this entire school year. My mom loves the fact that she has the oldest girls (ages 12-14) in her class, as she feels that they are the most capable of being influenced for the better, especially with a lot of the temptations that they face (I know age 12 sounds young, but it's not in the area that these girls live).
When I helped teach the class, I constantly had to remind myself that although these girls are 12 and 13 years old, they have almost certainly seen more in their 12 years of life than I have at double their age. These precious girls don't need to sit and down and be lectured, nor they need to have Bible verses spoon-fed to them. They do not respond well to that. What they need most is a friend. A role model. A mentor. An example...someone to love on them, to listen not talk, to hug, to just be there.
Admittedly, we liked to have fun in our class. Perhaps a little too much fun (the Cupid Shuffle may or may not have been performed on occasion), but our motto was, if it's getting these girls off the streets and surrounded by good, caring people in a good environment, it's beneficial.
Well, things have apparently changed, as I learned from talking to my mom today. I could tell that she was miffed about something, but i had no idea what, until she broke into her rant about last night's class. Evidently, some of the teachers approached her (let me add that these are teachers who are frustrated that they only have 3 girls in their class because all of the girls prefer my mom's class) and said that they had a problem with her "teaching style." More specifically, they felt the need to complain to my mom about the fact that she brings candy to them, which they labeled as "bribery." Excuse me? This is not politics. This is people volunteering their Monday nights during the school year to teach these precious, fabulous, underprivileged children with the hope of making just a small impact on their lives. It gets worse...
Following the "bribery" nonsense, another lady graciously offered her two cents by saying, "Yeah, are you even a teacher?" I know my mom was probably biting her tongue at this point. However, being the respectable woman that she is, she calmly responded that, while she may not sit the girls around a table and teach them a Bible lesson, she talks to them about practical, real-life situations that they either are or will be confronted with, and she offered the example of the proper way to act on a first date...
Well, the comment that really crossed the line was made by the same old biotch that accused my mom of bribery. She said, "I mean, you don't think these girls actually date in the projects, do you?" W.T.F. ?!? I could brush off the other comments as just being the product of narrow, ignorant minds, but this went far beyond that realm. I was absolutely speechless when my mom told me what that old bitty said.
I will be the first to admit that my mom is a far better person than I am. For instance, if that comment would have been made to or even within earshot of me, I would have said "You're exactly right that the girls in your class won't date, because you don't have enough faith in them, nor do you have enough common sense to teach them any different." Better yet, I would have gone straight up Jerry Springer on her ass and given her a swift kick into the church parking lot. I'm not above a girl fight. You better not mess with my mama, but you're a fool if you mess with this girl. :)
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