Warning: Hazardous Room

In the beginning of the year, I was using my (Communist) Red Star shoulder bag, but then BF bought me an even more awesome shoulder bag -- a Hazmat bag. I use it everywhere I go. One day, I told BF, "I love this bag! Look, it even has all these pen holders!" BF said, "What are you talking about! Those aren't pen-holders. They're bullet-holders!" Oh.

Anywho, I use my Hazmat bag at school, too, because I frequently travel between the 320 classroom and my room. It's so convenient b/c it holds a good amount of materials amongst other supplies and knick-knacks that I "never know when I'm going to need."

(Not a great segue but) Speaking of hazardous stuff, I am so disgusted with my room. Earlier this year, I got an all-staff e-mail warning teachers to be careful about having food in their rooms b/c there is a rat problem. A few weeks after, the custodian came by and said in a calm manner, "I don't mean to scare you but I'm just going to put this little rat trap right here b/c someone said they saw a rat run out of your room...Don't worry, I'll come by every morning to check it. I'm sure it wasn't really in your room." Sometimes I hesitantly check it myself in the morning. I fear that one day, there will be a dead rat there.

A few weeks ago, a huge cockroach was roaming my room. When I finally remembered to bring Raid, it disappeared for two days. Then it scurried across my small room and I sprayed like 2 ounces of Raid on it but it wouldn't die! Out of desperation, I stuck the Raid can over it and ran to get the custodian. Of course it was dead by the time the custodian lifted the can and promptly disposed the carcass (and I felt so silly). The custodian said, "I'll put a bait plug-in; because your room is right here, there are probably some cracks for them to come in." My room is at the end of a corridor, surrounded by marshy, swampy lawns that spawn mosquitoes and gnats; sometimes when I open my door first thing in the morning, a small swarm of them almost fly into my face. No roach bait yet, but I hadn't had any problems with the roaches again until today.

Today, I was double-booked for two IEPs (the parent for the later one came early and the earlier one came late; I've learned my lesson to not book IEPs back-to-back!) so I excused myself to go outside to meet the late-earlier one. We stood in the marshy swamps to talk a little bit, when I felt something on my foot. I looked down in time to see a huge roach crawling across my foot. I quickly jerked my foot so it flew somewhere. Thankfully, I didn't scream but just carried on (I'm not much of a screamer when other people are around).

Later, when we moved back into my room, I saw another roach crawl across my room! I didn't say anything, but when the Aunty walked in, I saw her gesture to the student about something on the floor. After they left, I found a dead roach around where my student was sitting. She must have graciously stomped on it during the meeting!

Lastly, yesterday and today, there have been big clumps of dirt falling from the vent directly above where I normally sit.

Yesterday, the principal threatened to take this room away from me. Truth be told, I don't take it as a serious threat for several reasons, including the aforementioned and especially since the summer heat is approaching. My room does not have adequate ventilation (i.e., no A/C nor heater). My kids are constantly freezing to the point that they hog my space heater and use my extra fleece blanket. Tomorrow is supposed to be a scorcher so it'll be an oven in my room. Hopefully, I don't get any heat strokes in my room and faint onto the floor where roaches will scurry across me.