pre-lunch crunch

Alan & I have temporarily given up on trying to teach computer skills in our classes. We've done a lot of work in setting up a good computing environment, and we're a bit worn down, ambition-wise. The kids are only interested in games and email for the most part, anyway. The oldest ones are the worst behaving and the youngest the most unaware, so for projects and activities we generally focus on the middle-aged kids; 9-12 year-olds or so. But lately we've been letting them surf the web and play games -- Snood and Marathon are the favorites -- and help them with whatever problems they run into.

This gives us some freedom, though. Alan burns a lot of cd's of music and software that we have at our disposal, and surfs around the topic of Neo-Tech, which seems to outline a strategy for personal happiness through Eastern Thought with a modern twist. I've been looking for a new job; still hoping to stay and work in the UK upon my trip to Ireland (leaving August 9th,) but apprehensive of how I will manage this.

It's nearly time for lunch, and I'm dreading it. Every meal is such a chore; the kids in my bunk are a handfull. So selfish when it comes to the food on our table, so competitive and argumentative, so rude and hurtful. The greediness is not so much an issue to me anymore; it is overshadowed by the bullying and spite. I've run out of ways to ease the tension; taking away their night-time "canteen" (candy and soda) privileges and making them stack the table's dishes don't have much of an effect anymore. I'm trying to figure out and learn new ways to deal with it, but not getting very far.

Here goes...