Birthday idea for students next year

I know I've toyed with this idea before, but I was thinking that it might be nice to create little birthday gifts for our students for next year. Probably nothing more than a glorified goody bag, but maybe it wouldn't be too difficult to do, and it might be decent PR. (Not that I actually need PR, but who doesn't think that extra happies on the big day are good?) Our team has been giving the kids a soda on their birthdays, but they seem to think that's their God-given right sometimes. Some of them actually demand their birthday drink.

Some don't though. They even pass on the drink because they feel they don't need the extra sugar and caffeine, but say thanks anyway. (Generally the kids from the better-off families, whereas a lot of the fairly poor kids are more demanding and want to know what else they're getting. I think they equate "teacher" with "rich". But that's just some kids - they think that if you have even a dollar more than they do, you should be spending it on them. Weird sense of entitlement.)

Anyway, the bags might contain a homemade birthday card, plus some candy or other treat, maybe a special pencil if I can find them cheaply enough, and a homework pass for the student to use in my class. (Free to give out.) Maybe even an extra restroom pass. (Free again.)

my birthday

Notice there was no post on my birthday? It was pretty unremarkable. I didn't tell my students (deliberately) because I didn't want to deal with the litany of "that's gotta be the best birthday ever!" that I always get.

It never is. If I hope for anything good to happen, I'm always bitterly disappointed, so I'm working toward making it a non-event in future years.

My sister sent me a red rose and a balloon. :)

Mom sent me a card with $20 in it a couple days before. I don't understand that. She can't afford it and I don't need it. It makes me feel extremely guilty to take it.

Because I went over to my sister's house that night to watch a movie with them (and had a couple pieces of pizza), I missed Dad dropping by. He stuck a sweet card in my door, and I found it when I got home.

My brother gave me a glass from the Dollar Tree (LOL) that's pretty much plastered with our last name. I guess he forgot that I'd been with him when we saw those glasses.

My sister's younger son picked out a card from him and his brother. It was a Happy Bunny card that reads "Everybody is beautiful on the inside. If you think bones and guts are beautiful, that is." Oh, that made me laugh SO hard!! He knows how much I love Happy Bunny.

Other than that, it was much like any other day. I went to the coffee shop and sat there for about a hour, but the coffee guy got out of there pretty fast when I came in. Given his lukewarm responses to me in person and via email, I'm pretty sure he not only isn't interested, but probably dislikes me as well. I suppose I shouldn't care what he thinks for this reason, but I guess that I'll follow the old rule "Speak only when you're spoken to." I can't possibly have any influence over him that would be beneficial to me, anyway. Any effort I put forth for this now is just wasted.

Looking back, I never truly expected to be the one that nobody wanted. I thought surely there was someone out there for me. I've seen less attractive, less likeable people with a lot less to offer finding someone who would love them, so logic whispered to me that I was okay and there had to be someone for me too.

I really don't believe that anymore. As a matter of fact, I'll bet that if I had found someone, he'd have cheated on me and divorced me anyway.

Supposedly we're going to have a small ice storm tonight. I hope we have one and I'm out of school tomorrow, because it's 12:40 am and it snuck up on me.