Last week was a rather bumpy one for 4th grade in general. The students were marvelous in all respects...until I blinked or turned my back on them. When I'd talk to them about their poor choices, eyes would fill with tears (both theirs and mine) and sincere promises would be made about immediate reformation. And they were true to their word. Until the next time I blinked or turned my back. Friday ended with an elegant weapon discovered on a student's desk -- a tiny little spear constructed out of a push pin and a straightened out paper clip. As I led my motley crew to the busses that afternoon my head hurt and I was about ready for the loony bin.
And, voila, the next day there I was, in the old Stockton Insane Asylum attending a teacher workshop. The institution was constructed in the 1850's to deal with the large number of gold miners who developed mental problems associated with not finding the riches they expected. It was very modern and forward-thinking for its day, but in the 1960's it was closed. And there all these buildings sat, empty and waiting until a few years ago a university bought them.
Which is why on Saturday, I was wandering down the long hallway of the Stockton Insane Asylum, looking for the Ladies Room before checking into my writing workshop. And thinking, as a shuffled along the linoleum, that I fit in just fine here...
Working on the campus of a mental health facility allows me to play a fun game on a daily basis - I call it "Staff or Patient?" We still aren't sure who's crazier!
ReplyDeleteI like your game, however this shows how little I know about where you work -- your dad and I had quite the discussion this evening on what you do. He was happy to bring me up to speed. :)
ReplyDeleteDoesn't "mental health facility" sounds so much more...sane than the former "Insane Asylum"? In the old days they left no doubt about where you were and why you'd been placed there.