Mushroom soup

State assessments have started. This means that kids are taking computerized tests on reading and can't be taught anything that might be on the test, so English classes have come to a stand-still.

Why aren't the assessments given during English class? I have no idea. I didn't get to offer any input on the scheduling process. Except that all the kids who need accommodations must be scheduled by the special education staff. I'm going to proctor 13 testing sessions this week. And probably another half a dozen next week. While I'm doing that, I won't be in the classes I usually C0-Teach. Its a very disconnected feeling. I miss my students and normal routine, and its only been two days.

Oh, and I found out, very publicly, that I've been doing something incredibly wrong all year and have to go back and fix 14 IEPs. Sigh. Last week I felt really good at my job. I want to go back to last week.

Also, my house is a mess. I try to do a little laundry and little picking up every night, but I'm loosing the battle. I guess that's what they make weekends for.

So, Mike's been in rehab for almost a month. I really think its a miracle that he even ended up there. He was walking up town in Pittsburg to get some drugs and sell some stuff. But something told him to turn around and he ended up in the mental health offices. They took one look at him and had him admitted to the hospital. From the hospital he was sent to a rehab facility.

Now he's been accepted into a reentry program in Joplin. Which is great, there is a shortage of beds and he went through an application process and was accepted ahead of several others. But there's a catch (isn't there always). He needs a $100 "sobreriety deposit".

But he doesn't have $100, he had a last paycheck from his job and he blew his money on cigarettes and clothes and shoes he didn't need, and then just gave the rest to his ex. I practically begged him to save as much as possible. Now he wants me to give him the money for the deposit and some money for a dentist visit. Or just collect it from people we know.

Why is that my job? and why do I feel like if I don't I'll be a bad sister. But won't just giving him the money be defeating the whole purpose of him paying a deposit? After all, he's proven that he hos no problem costing ME money already.

Also, today is Tom's birthday. I think he's living in Independence with some stoners. He shows up on facebook, but never talks to me. I guess I could talk to him. I know he's going through a hard time, but he's also blaming lots of other people for his problems, when the root cause is him wanting to take shortcuts and ending up in crappy situations because of it.