I didn’t write anything for yesterday. I put all my energy into applying as a volunteer tutor in the LA School district Step-Up program. Jeez, Louise! The application is long and complicated. Besides the legal aspects, they need to cover their asses. They provide a fair amount of instruction on how to relate to the students and their parents. Also, they give a crash course in how to teach. They show you how to set up a lesson plan. So far, they have said nothing about requiring one from the tutors. If they do, I’m out. I agree that many teachers have to be forced to think about what they’ll be teaching and how to present it. I’ve been teaching for fifty years. Also, my focus in education is often on some cognitive aspects of the lesson. There is no place to include that in the plan.
There’s another problem that may not be so easy to fix. I find that I didn’t get confirmation when I finished a section of the program. When I finished one, I had to leave the whole program, go back to the email, reopen the entire file, find where I was, and start again. It may be more my problem because I’m somewhat older than the average twelve-year-old, the paragon of computer literacy.
I finally got hold of Kia to ask two questions. I received a postcard telling me I had to buy protection. They assured me that it was a scam. The other question was about the mechanical operation of the car. I had learned that there were two motors: one powered by electricity and the other by gas. I have been driving only on electricity since I got the car. I was concerned about what happened to the gas motor if unused.
At first, the mechanic told me that I had no choice but to use the gas motor; it would switch over automatically. I had to grab him by the ears and tell him that I often came home and had electrical units to spare. I never switched over to gas. He finally got it. Oh, if you never use the gas motor, it will become dysfunctional. He explained this to me as if I could not possibly have any idea what he was talking about. Duh! I called with this question. I must have some idea what you were talking about. He did tell me something I didn’t know: gas goes bad after two years. I have a full tank, of which I have used a fraction of a gallon. He told me not to be so diligent about charging the car each time I come home after a drive. Okay, plan B. I will use the gas motor at least once a week and use up that tank of gas within the next six months.
I called Darby to join me for my evening walk. When I got home, I treated Elsa for skin and ear problems. Boy, her skin is a mess. That she’s not scratching 24/7 is a mystery to me.
While the TV played in the background, I went through my documents drawer to find our marriage certificate. I needed it to secure a new Social Security card with my hyphenated name on it. Lo and behold, there it was at the bottom of the drawer, a Social Security card with my hyphenated name. I have no recall of getting it. As I think of it, Mike and I must have gotten new cards when we applied for something in the Social Security office. Was it here in Hawaii or while we were living in Ohio? Probably Ohio, on the day we went to claim our social security benefits. Who knows? Either way, I’m out the $39 I paid to get a new one, but I’m spared a somewhat convoluted procedure to get it. All’s well that ends well. Now, I plan to get this card laminated at my earliest convenience to ensure it lasts for the rest of my life.
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