"Joanna, where's the post on climate change?" Hush, you. I half-wrote it and then stopped. I'll finish it and back-date it (and delete this paragraph) and then no one will know. So there.

Yesterday was rough. I had something big due in my [how to teach] social studies class. Of course, this "something big" was also something that was very poorly defined. I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to be doing. I stared at my syllabus for a while, and then I decided that I'd better do something for class. I threw together a lesson plan and field trip plan (including the permission letter to the parents/guardians!) for teaching fifth graders about intentional communities. Field trip to Twin Oaks. Yeah, I'm serious. I would so be the coolest teacher ever.

I arrived at class feeling slightly desperate only to find out that everyone else was in the same boat.

"What exactly is due today?"

We convinced our professor that nothing should be due, because no one was prepared for the assignment that she actually wanted us to do. We revised the syllabus-- a surprisingly stressful process-- and got out of class an hour early.

The second stress factor yesterday was the impending deadline for my observed lesson in math. "Observed lesson" in this case means, "Joanna will teach a lesson and someone will observe her and give her feedback." Why so stressful? Well, dear reader, I still haven't established a relationship with a school, much less a particular math teacher. I've been very frustrated with the way school officials have been treating me, which is to say that they haven't been dealing with me at all. As one of the only people in the class who's not attached to a school, I am at a distinct disadvantage in the preexisting-relationship-with-a-school department. I can't even go back to my high school because I'm supposed to be observing elementary schools-- the last elementary school I attended is in Hawaii!

My observed lesson is due Wednesday. I realized this, froze, and began to wish I didn't exist. Mild panic for most of the day. Luckily, my math professor is besties with my social studies professor, so I got to talk with her after social studies let out. I explained my predicament. She nodded and murmured with understanding.

My assignment is now to teach an elementary math lesson to my peers in class. I'll get lots of feedback. I'll probably be super nervous about teaching to people who are already teachers, but it's certainly better than not being able to do the assignment at all. And the amount of feedback will probably be very helpful. I'll just have to practice a bunch. Maybe I'll teach a housemate or two tonight to work out my jitters.

Speaking of housemates, my house is lovely. We turned on the heat yesterday, and the basement is definitely the coziest area in the house. The rest of the place has leaky windows, which Meg swears she's going to cover in plastic. I decided yesterday that my basil was looking too sad to continue and made a big batch of pesto with the last of it. (This was during my panic-management/procrastination phase.) The kitchen still smells good.

Keegan and I have become fast friends. Long talks. Music music music. Our clutter gets tangled up in a nice, cozy way. We went to DC9 for a dance night a while back and it was super rad. I love dancing. I love people who love dancing. AND ALELA DIANE IS PLAYING AT DC9 in November and I bought a ticket already and I'm so super pumped. PUMPED.

In other news, I'm going to be a literacy tutor! That's right, folks. I'm going to teach an adult how to read. Evidently, illiteracy is a huge problem in DC. Who knew? I'll be paired with a learner, and we'll meet one-on-one every week for an hour or two. I get trained this Saturday. I'm pumped. Keegan is also going to be a literacy tutor, so we'll have EVEN MORE to talk about.

I bought a bus ticket to and from New York. (Gotta love Megabus. Round trip fare: $10.50) Matt and I are going to meet up there. I am excited. Also, this will give me a chance to actually visit with the kids of the Stolen Sleeves Collective. I felt pretty guilty last time I was there; I only stayed for the night, and I barely got to see everyone. Bad guest. Bad.

Life, life, life. Full of people. Full of life. I like it.