On Being a Pushover

My first year as a teacher, I was forced to volunteer to be my school's MERC rep. You see, everyone has to be on a committee (although the same five slackers somehow manage to avoid it every year), and MERC was in need of a new rep. The OLDer rep was retiring and said, "I think it would be perfect for a YOUNG, NEW, PRIMARY teacher," while training her eagle, watery, cataract-ridden eyes me - the only YOUNG, NEW, PRIMARY teacher. "Um... I'll do it?" I offered up weakly.

I went to one meeting a month. I never knew what the organization was for, what they did, what MERC stood for, or why I was going. No one ever talked to me. The more "experienced" teachers sat at their tables and gossiped about colleagues and students while I smiled politely. The meetings ranged from guest speakers talking about how to use newspapers in the classroom to my least favorite, the "make and take" session where we made ridiculous Christmas ornaments that I would have been embarrassed of as a third grader, let alone as an adult. I faithfully brought the pamphlets to my school, passed them out, and kept my mouth shut.

Somehow I am now the Vice President of MERC - Midland Empire Reading Council. Did you know Billings is called the Midland Empire? Me neither. MERC is a local chapter of the state council Montana State Reading Council, which is a state chapter of International Reading Association.

At any rate, the new prez is moving things into the 21st century, which is great. However, it's also a lot of work. I thought I would be able to sit on my haunches like the past six years of "board members" did. Not so. I am now the "website technician" for MSRC, begging businesses to be corporate sponsors for MERC, and presenting a workshop for teachers who have been in the classroom longer than I've been alive at the State Reading Conference.

It was an interesting time in Helena, to say the least. The ladies ranged from timid little school teachers (one "got a little emotional" every ten minutes or so) to the raunchy type who drank in the hotel bar playing alphabet games. One of them slipped Lawrence Welk into conversation (who I knew only from SNL skits), and several of them had to apologize to each other in the bathroom for being rude during budget discussions. Once again, I worked on being neither seen nor heard. It didn't really work, since before I had even arrived, they'd put my name on EVERY COMMITTEE that requires an Internet connection.

So there you have it. Check out and "like" MSRC's and MERC's facebook page if you want, or at least visit the new website (still in barebones format) to keep up to date with my newest adventures!