Jeans Day, Quiet Afternoon, Catch Up

1. Fridays are jeans day in my district. I get to come to school today with jeans, sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt on, and I'm at least as well dressed as everyone else. I am more comfortable on these days than on any other day. Aren't jeans days the best?

2. I am covering the person who usually monitors in school suspension. It's just me, the suspended student, and my laptop in a brightly-lit flourescent room. It sounds boring, but the temperature is cozy, the kid is basically a good kid, and I have a breezy, fun conversation with another teacher via e-mail. All in all, not a bad way to spend a few hours on a Friday afternoon.

3. Because of my forced isolation, I am able to catch up with the newspaper - three days' worth of news! I read the horoscopes even though they are out-dated. I get caught up on the funnies, too. I offer the funnies to the kid in suspension, but he decides to color his shoes with bright markers instead. They look quite nice when he's done - all red, blue, yellow and gray. I think to myself that I wish shoes were sold in those colors.