I've taught college-level classes....I have a master's degree and am working on a second one, so when schools closed and all learning got shifted online, I figured I could help my daughter out. Surely eighth-grade assignments would be no big deal -- never mind the fact that the game show a few years back called "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader" clearly proved that I wasn't. But I'm taking my classes online and thought hers would be so much easier to navigate. Yeah, this mom was sadly mistaken about that assumption!
I don't know about you but it's been quite a few years since I've had to contemplate whether the eye color genes we passed on to her were dominant or recessive and in what allele formation they were. In my everyday life as an office manager and seminary student -- or even my previous life as a fundraising and marketing professional -- I very seldom graphed the slope-intercept of an equation. (OK, if we're being completely honest here, I never did. I totally forgot how to do it once I walked out of Algebra class. It's something I've never had to do as a communications major or in my MBA classes, but I didn't want to tell her that it's more than likely a piece of knowledge she'll never use again. Unless, of course, she becomes a math teacher, which I highly doubt, since her math skills are as stellar as that of both her mom and her dad 😄). And when she started talking to me about the Donner Party, I had to stop myself from asking if the party included Blitzen and Dasher, since I had a distinct feeling she wasn't talking about the reindeer that pulled Santa's sleigh. But I was glad I was finally glad I could help when she was studying the Oregon Trail and asked if I knew what dysentery was. Wow, my skills in playing the Facebook game finally paid off!
And I can now empathize that eighth grade really is a difficult time -- I remember it being one of the most challenging grades in school for me, and her counselors and teachers have echoed that to us during conferences. But almost as difficult as wracking my brain to figure out what year the Trail of Tears took place has been my other role -- as The Lunch Lady. Yes, in addition to making sure she gets up at a decent hour and gets a good head start on her lessons each day, I'm also the chief cook and menu-planner. And now that we're four weeks into these fun times, this mom is starting to run out of ideas. And the student even has the nerve to make special menu requests -- I bet the lunch ladies at the junior high don't stand for that 😁
But serving as Lunch Lady gave me the chance to get inspired today by one of the most popular Lunch Ladies around...if you've never seen this bit from SNL, hope it gives you a few good laughs! And I'm hoping it gives me some inspiration on what to cook in the days ahead...Sloppy Joes, anyone?!!
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