Clarissa's Blog

Here I am bitching about my flight to London from Dallas – Fort Worth being cancelled, and it turns out they are having a horrible storm.

Stay strong, Dallas folks! And Florida folks, too!

Before my trip, N handed me a package and said, “Here is an eye mask and ear plugs. I know you don’t like sleeping meds but here are some just in case it gets bad. Here is your passport. I put your Global Entry card in the pocket of the passport cover. Here is the insurance in case you get sick. Here is the card that will get you into the lounges during the layovers. Here are the cards that I set up for use in Europe. It’s a good idea to keep one credit card with the emergency info in a separate place in case you lose your wallet. Here is the emergency credit card and the contact phones. I’ll wrap the card in the emergency info sheet and tie it together with a rubber band.”

And he produced the rubber band.

The rubber band just about slaughtered me. It reminded me of my great-grandfather who was my primary caregiver throughout much of my childhood. He was like this. Meticulous, organized, thoughtful. He was all about caring for others. Not all others, obviously, but just closest ones. And he loves his rubber bands.

It’s funny how we get attached to a scenario so early in life and keep replaying it our whole lives. Together with rubber bands.

I’m sure everybody has seen the new environment report. And I’m sure everybody understands that very few people will care.

It’s hard to notice a real problem when there is a barrage of apocalyptic howling every day. World War III is coming! Trump will nuke the world! Democracy will die tomorrow! Democratic institutions are crumbling! Everybody is about to starve! The rise of fascism! It’s just like Hitler! No, it’s just like Weimar Germany! No, it’s worse! We are entering the darkest of times!

People publish insane apocalyptic screeds that read like comedy. Everybody is foaming at the mouth. And then when there’s really something serious to worry about, nobody has the energy or the trust to notice.

Yes, I’ve said this before. But the apocalyptic blethering has gotten so much worse in the last two years and it comes precisely from the folks who are likely to notice global warming. These folks have thrown away all credibility because of their daily hysterical fits.

My sister tells me that the Caribbean beaches are dying because of the global warming. She saw it with her own eyes. And that’s one thing among a million.

It would be great if folks stopped howling at the moon every two seconds and got their nerves in order. You can’t achieve anything if all you do is bleat about how everything is just SOOOOO horrible.

If the daughters are old enough to understand what a Supreme Court nomination and the Senate Judiciary Committee are, then they can figure it all out without mommy’s explanations.

The daughters are all but guaranteed to become staunch Republicans because this kind of ranting coming from a parent is very stifling. If we are talking about teenagers, they’ll just get sulky if you rant at them about your political beliefs. If they are younger, the whole discussion is inappropriate.

And also, it’s so much better not to ask for doctor’s notes out of respect than out of self-congratulating pity for “lower classes.”

I bring this up because @fortunafiasco noted this week on Twitter that requiring doctor’s notes for illnesses is inherently classist: it presumes access to medical care. We can’t presume that. The most desperate students often have the least access — whether financially or logistically — to the professionals whose notes would “excuse” them.

I don’t require doctor’s notes for absences and refuse them when students proffer them. I don’t do it not because it would be classist or whatever but because I operate from the position of trust and respect. If a student wasn’t in class, even if it’s for three weeks, I proceed from the assumption that there was an important and serious reason I don’t need to know about.

I don’t care about the power struggles of “prove to me that I’m so important that you wouldn’t miss my class without a good reason.” All I care is the learning. My first questions after an absence of any duration are, “what are we going to do to get you caught up? How can I help? What resources do we have to make it happen?”

Similarly, if the students need to leave class early or come in late – even if it’s every class during the semester, I assume there is a good reason and don’t bicker about it. The same goes for texting in class. If they do it, it must be something very important.

And I haven’t had anybody abuse my trust ever. We all are human, we all have shit happening. If I don’t proceed from the assumption that everybody is an evildoer out to demonstrate how insignificant I am.

My absence policy is that I always have very high participation percentages, and if you are away for a while, then participate like crazy when you come back and it will make up for the lost time. I take attendance every class but it’s not punitive. It helps me to remember faces and names faster and keep them fresh.

In short, teachers, get your sense of self-worth from other places than the classroom. It’s not the students’ job to make you feel valued. It’s great if you do but they can’t be the main source.

This is the type of street anarchy that routinely happens where I live. Here is video from 6 Oct showing Antifa directing traffic in downtown & threatening people who don’t obey with violence. Mayor @tedwheeler, who really runs this town? pic.twitter.com/OgjZNByxat

— Andy C. Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) October 8, 2018

Come gather round people wherever you roam & shun any republican family member you have. Until this president is gone. You don’t need to tell that family member that you are shunning them. Just stand up for your country very close to home. Make it hurt for both of you. Rise. Rise

— Jerry Saltz (@jerrysaltz) October 7, 2018

Imagine if this creep has kids. Good to know that Dad’s love is conditional on something so silly.

Or even a spouse or a sibling. God.

If this fellow is being satirical, please let me know.