Saturday, November 14, 2015

Time Goes By, the Knees Heal

It's been ages since I posted. My newest knee is coming along very well after its hematoma(giant blood filled bruise) --a second surgery to clean that up and to get an errant vein to stop dripping-- It set my physical therapy WAY back and I ran out of physical therapy for the year. There has been zero response to my letter asking for a dozen more sessions. I got to 120* though and at school I catch myself just zooming around, I can go up and down the stairs with NO HANDS!! not fast but I can do it thoughtfully! I can walk an exercise mile easily, but I have not yet done 2 miles. Stiffness comes with weather changes. I forgot, there was a third surgery to manipulate the knee out of its scar tissue and to remove the deeply caught stitches from the hematoma repair. Yeah, since October of last year I had 6 general anesthetics! It's a wonder I have any brain cells left. During my recovery I was able to see the entire run of Judging Amy, the show holds up.

  I do find myself thinking more and more of retirement, but not because my body is failing, more because the pressure on teachers is becoming so great that I am starting to feel it deeply back in the art's hallway where we are the third world country of education. We have a great new principal, but the dealings with the state for our grants and low grade are all-encompassing. I have seen excellent, solid, creative, experienced teachers in tears. I have seen first and second years high tail it out of education for the horrible treatment and low pay for life they now suffer from. 2 anti-public ed govs in a row and really, three presidents of both parties-- the career has become menial and the abuse unbelievable. I am sure education will rise again and teaching will return to a career path, hope there are people left with the desire when we get through this period.

This was supposed to be about my knees. oops.