Wednesday, November 9, 2011

A Harbinger Of Winter

Winter is coming!

I know, not because The Devil insists on hawking Christmas wares already, but because the Newmentia cafeteria served chili for the first time this year. Chili! The kids love it. The teachers love it. But this year, not so much. Because we are peanut-butter-less, you see. Sure, it's a grand thing to keep a kid or two from kicking the bucket. But we really, really liked the peanut butter and syrup sandwiches that accompanied the chili.

A lunching companion bravely took a tray. The rest of us are still smarting from the lunch increase of over a dollar. But the daring, intrepid colleague bellied right up to the tray-sliding bar and asked for some sour cream for her chili. To hear her tell it, "They acted like I had asked for a packet of GOLD! They brought out ONE packet, slid it across the counter, and said, 'The kids don't get that!' Do I look like I would give it to the kids? The kids bring ME stuff." Sure enough, three packs of chips were dropped on our table in the time it took her to tell her tale.

I can't wait for her to review her itemized lunch charges, and see how much that packet of sour cream cost her.

10 comments:

knancy said...

Everytime you blog about the school cafeteria it amazes me that you eat at the same time and in the same area as the students. When I was in school, and then later when I taught in a private school everything was separate. The instructors had their own lounge/lunch room area. Also, when I was a kid, the teachers had separate bathroom facilities. When I taught, I did use the same bathroom facility as the students, but we were all adults and I was teaching medical classes - so no problem. But I would not want to share a bathroom or a cafeteria with kids that are in their teens. They can make fun of anything you do - normal or not, for real or not. Too many stories to be started about personal items I would not want to share with gossiping and sometimes malicious teens. I believe intructors should be held in higher esteem.

Hillbilly Mom said...

knancy,
I have only worked at one school with a duty-free lunch. We had a little aerie above the principal's office where we retired to repast.

In Newmentia, we are not required to eat with the kids UNLESS it is our duty week. Because nobody wants to be the only faculty member supervising 150 kids, we all agree to eat there instead of the teacher workroom. Safety in numbers, you know. And besides, forewarned is forearmed. We keep our fingers on the pulse of the teeming student body. We can warn each other of which one is acting squirrelly, or what faction has a fight brewing.

I AM a bit concerned that after school, students have the run of the workroom. They're not supposed to be there, but they hang around for practices, and use the snack machine. I feel uncomfortable going in to make copies or use the faculty bathroom. No matter how many times we run them out, they return when we're not around. And I'm not going to be the evening watchman. I have work to do.

knancy said...

You make me feel like you should retire. Just get out of that crazy system! Should I send this on to Obama? Someone needs to know.

In a private school, if a student misbehaved I just told them to leave class and take it up with the the Education Administrator.
Out of class, out of education, out of money - da - duh. Simple capitalistic brainwashing. I sort of liked that scenario.

Kathy's Klothesline said...

Peanut butter is a mainstay here in our house. Thank goodness none of our off-spring have any allergic off-spring. They would not be able to be around he who, no doubt, sweats peanut butter.Unfortunatly, the price of peanut butter is going up and he who loves Jif (of the choosy mom's variety) has agreed to ake on a third job just to be able to afford his addiction.

Hillbilly Mom said...

knancy,
Well, I have a feeling that dude already knows everything about me, ever since that Christmas when The Pony decided he wanted to learn Arabic, and I ordered him a poor man's Rosetta Stone CD.

I must stay until The Pony graduates. I am NOT sending him to the school in the district where we live. No way, no how. And I am not paying tuition to continue sending him to Newmentia, which I would have to do if I don't work there.

*************************
Kathy,
We are partial to Peter Pan Honey Roast. Crunchy. The Pony prefers it on Gala apples, but I could lap it out of the jar.

Jennifer said...

So did they blame the loss of syrup and pb sammy's on the rising cost of PB?

I do love myself a syrup and pb sandwich, okay I even love a plain pb sammy.

Hillbilly Mom said...

Jennifer,
Nah. They are merely trying to keep a severely peanut-allergic child alive.

labbie1 said...

I totally remember the chili with pb sammies...Yum! I STILL eat my chili with the pb sammy! Yummmmm again!

Darn the luck with the allergies!

I eat Devil's Choice pb. Seems fine. Otherwise it is Skippy for me...

labbie1 said...

PS I have to hand it to Nordstroms who put signs up on their windows that they want to celebrate the Thanksgiving season before decorating for Christmas and their Christmas windows will be up the day after Thanksgiving. I say Bravo!

Hillbilly Mom said...

labbie,
This Christmas advertising must be regulated!