SOOOO the reading went really well, and it was completely awesome to have fronds there. Other than that, I feel like I’ve slept all weekend. NPR stuck a mic up in Franny’s grill, so I hope they use her soundbite. The interviewer was nice–she said that Franny was very articulate compared to a lot of kids, which was good to hear, since I spend half of her waking hours going Please Express Your Feelings to the Best of Your Ability. (Show your work in the space below.)

Since the book is about hard/awkward times in school, the reporter asked Franny about that, and she said she was dealing with a bully right now. I knew that she was dealing with a really unpleasant child daily, but I was surprised to hear the classification in her own head was set to “bully.” I am trying to give her some tactics to deal with this bully, and Franny said she is backing off. I am probably a little too proactive about telling her exactly what to do, since my mom gave me all that “sticks and stones” and “school doesn’t last forever” (yes it does) crap when I had problems with other kids. I suggested that Franny should call the bully out in a loud voice on exactly whatever it is she’s doing, and use social pressure/shaming to let the bully know that Franny is not an easy target. The kids are all socialized to be quiet and nice, especially the girls, of course, but silence is not your friend, here. Franny reported that when she said, loudly, “You are not supposed to be doing that, and that is not nice,” three or four other kids turned around and stared at the offender and she slunk away. This is the same child who has been saying things like “Give me that pencil, or I won’t be your friend” since they were two. Franny admitted she is relieved the kid is moving into a different class next year.

So I saw coolio San Fransisco friends, and now they are leaving again. Sad panda. Today Companion and I talked about chicken run plans. I have ideas, and he has actual expertise on carpentry and crap, so I hope that when this is done it doesn’t look like the shady part of Hooverville or something. The chicks bock, sleep, poop. I am to bring them into Strudel’s class on Monday. The little monkeys will love that.