Math Bingo breeds school bullies

Announcement: The date for cutting all of you out of my life has been pushed back once again. So…welcome to my blog minions!

I currently reside in Ft. Myers, Florida - home of spring breakers, old people, Thomas Edison's summer home, pick-up trucks, and rat stashes. My dreams are manifested on a military cot in an apartment complex recently inhabitated by victims of Hurricane Charlie. Eleven of us occupy five rooms. I am a member of Team Eagle Six.
(See Also: Badger Unit)
(See Also: Wolf Unit)
( See Also: Griffindor, Slytherin, and Huffelpuff)

We only have two neighbors, one of which drives a white pick-up truck mounted on 4 ft. high wheels, whom I hate. The other is our gracious apartment manager, who totes around her yippee french poodle - which I hate. We rage fairly often. (See: 604 S. Clinton, my old house at the University of Iowa).

Our project is with the City of Ft. Myers. Three days a week we repair and paint homes for elderly and disabled people with the City Code Enforcement division. The other two days are spent tutoring children at Franklin Elementary School. Unfortunately, tourism and aesthetic appeal of downtown Ft. Myers masks the poverty a few miles across the tracks. Literally. 93% of Franklin’s enrollment is in poverty and eligible for state provided lunches. The project became even more important for me when I learned that most students have little or no adult male influence in their lives.

Playing Mr. Dan has been one of my most challenging roles yet. I now often hate myself as a tyke who never exercised self-control. Aside from reflective self-animosity, teaching has been quite rewarding. Highlights include: Helping students comprehend what they read, getting kids excited about otherwise lame lessons (subtraction can be fun when kids are pinned against each other in do-or-die competition...Bingo), learning the 'Soldier Boy' dance from my 2nd graders and listening to teacher gossip.

I have stumbled upon the realization that it's indeed possible to be more mature than 40 year old woman.