Mary Ellen revisited

Dear Daughter,

The reason I'm not doing some things to tell you the truth, is because I dread to. I don't know why, but that is the way it is. So now I think I will go tomorrow, maybe. I wish I could fix my hair but I can't, so guess I will have to live with it.

It's a beautiful day, with a high temperature 66, I think.

You wrote such a pretty, long letter, and do appreciate it so much. Mary Ellen. Isn't she a problem student!!!

Church was fine last night. We stayed in the auditorium, because Bro. Richards taught the auditorium, so enjoyed not having to go to the Library.


Sunday night is our visitation committee, so Agnes said she
would bring us home, as usual.

We are not eating today from the cafeteria. Our meat was supposed to be delivered, from Omaha, but it hasn't been delivered yet. It was supposed to be delivered yesterday, but we never heard about it. Slow, slow -

So, I hope you have a good day. At least, in going to the Central office, you will have a lot of people to learn the thing about reading. Of course, you are to be the guinea pig. I'm sure it's because you are the head of the children. Good luck.

I didn't get up this morning until 7:10. The alarm was buzzing, but I was so sleepy that I didn't even hear it.

Hope everything goes right with you -

Much love, M & D

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Dear Mother:

If you wondered why my letter was so short last night, it was because Buddy called and so, while talking to him, I tried to add a couple of concluding sentences so I could go ahead and send the letter. I suspected that I’d be on the phone quite a long time so I didn’t want to wait until I finished talking to Buddy to finish my letter. Considering that we talked well over an hour, it’s a good thing I went ahead and sent a short letter rather than wait to write a longer letter. Buddy was very talkative last night and, in fact, he was so talkative that I finally had to tell him I had to go. It’s a pity to terminate a conversation with your child but after an hour and fifteen minutes, I really had to go. He was chattering on about things at work (this course he’s taking) and how he hired an interior decorator to come look at his apartment and suggest window treatments which are going to be custom-made and about his appointment with a diamond merchant today to look at possible rings for Anna (I hope I’m not "telling secrets out of school" so don’t mention this to him). He just went on and on about places he and Anna had been, parties they’d attended, restaurants they’d been to, blah, blah, blah. He was all wound up and it was hard to stop him!! But anyway, that was why my letter was so short.

Before I tell you about today, I’ll tell you a couple of things about the field trip that I meant to tell you last night. Actually, it’s just one thing—Mary Elizabeth….. As teacher, I got to sit in the front seat of the bus (Gretchen across the aisle in the other front seat) so I settled in thinking I could read my book and have a moderately entertaining time on the 2-hour drive but NO! Here comes Mary Ellen who sits down beside me. I tried to convince her she’d have more fun back with the other kids but she declared that she would only sit with me. Then I told her I planned to read my book and wouldn’t talk to her but she said that was fine, that she wouldn’t bother me. To giver her credit where credit is due, she didn’t talk. She sat and stared straight out the window for a very long time and then she curled up and went to sleep so I did get to read my book. Once we got to Crow’s Neck Center, she was in my group so I spent the rest of the day in her company. I have to say that I’ve rarely seen a child who knows so little about getting along with other children. All day long there was the constant refrain of "Mary Ellen, don’t DO that!" or "Mary Ellen, try to help us." And for the most part, these admonitions came from the other kids rather than from me. We spent the morning doing a "Cooperation Course" where the naturalists at the Center took the kids out in the woods to teach them how to depend on and trust each other when dealing with problems out in nature (getting lost, getting across a gully or stream, etc.) and the object of the experience was to get the group to figure out a solution that would require everyone’s efforts and help everyone to achieve the goal. Mary Ellen was often obstructionist and always complaining. She needs major social skills help. Anyway, I ended the day being very grateful that she isn’t in my class this year! Oh, by the way, she sat with me at lunch and shadowed me all day so I got a full dose of Mary Ellen!

Very briefly I’ll tell you that today will again be sort of topsy turvy. I’ll have my 3rd grade class this morning (for 2 hours) but then will not have any of my 2nd graders because I have to go to the high school to learn how to use a new teacher website program for the school district. Gretchen and I are both going along with about 10 other teachers who have plenty of computer skills. We are the guinea pigs for the new program so the tech people are going to teach us first. I wouldn’t mind doing this but I wish it weren’t today since my 2nd graders are going to be furious with me for missing Gateway again! Well, there’s nothing I can do so I guess I’ll try to have a good attitude.

Now that’s all I have to say and all I have time to say! How’s your cafeteria doing? Are you going to go to the beauty shop? Have you not gone to the beauty shop because you feel bad? Tell me how things are up there!

Bye--Ruth