Wednesday, December 11, 2013

A Windy Reminder

In addition to the cold weather, the winds picked up this week.  Windy, might be an understatement with the 65 mph gusts that arrived on Sunday night.  Personally, I like the wind.  The air quality is so much better.  I also kind of like being cozied up inside the house when it sounds like the rest of the world is blowing away.  However, dealing with 7 year olds in the wind is an entirely different story.

The work week was off to quite a start when I walked out to the playground to pick up my class first thing Monday morning.  After saying good morning a cold gust tore through the yard behind us and, as if right on cue, the entire class toppled forward with gasps and screams.  The wind took hold of jackets, skirts, and scarves yanking the kids around with more screams.  Hats were knocked off as we walked to class through what looked like leaf tornadoes.  Within the first 5 minutes of my week, the kids spent about 3 of them screeching about the wind.  For three consecutive days every time we opened the door, walked outside, heard the wind against the building, I cringed, waiting for someone to fall apart. 

By Tuesday afternoon, most of the staff had had it up to HERE with the wind!  My assistant principal, who visits a few 2nd graders on a daily basis and who noticed how the wind was creating monsters out of said kids, walked past me mumbling to herself about the wind.  “I think it’s a scientific fact that the wind makes them CRAZY.”  I think so too.

When I got home that night, trying to unwind from the insanity, the thought of the kids falling apart in the wind reminded me of this time of year when I was still riding horses.  As much as I like windy weather, when riding, just like when teaching, I don’t care for it.  Thinking back on those days, we dreaded taking the horses out in that weather.  The wind made them so high and extremely skittish.  When a gust of wind would come up behind them they’d tuck in their butt and bolt forward.  To this day, I still have the muscle memory for their (and my) reaction to the wind.  Even worse, these strong winds we get ripping in between the mountains are very noisy – in addition to the gusts themselves the wind knocks things over that aren’t secured and shakes and clatters those things that are.  When the crossbars or standards of a jump would blow down, or a gate would slam loudly, or the wind would rattle through the barn the horses spooked.  It made both them and us nervous wrecks. 

Horses and second graders have a lot in common when it’s windy.

18 comments:

  1. This is you Sirocco ?. I don't know kids, but can't they be convinced into treating it like a game. Make it fun. Make falling on their little tush a game where they narrow their eyes and reach down to draw on a bit of grit. Like when you kissed the soil hard having been tipped out of your seat, you had to reach in and find it. I'd have thought since you can set your watch by the arrival a program in the schools would kick in for the younger ones. The older would remember it from last year but the smallies are so short of history one year is like 20 of ours they don't remember last year, not really.
    Do you remember the Athens Olympics. The giggle was betting which hour the rider going. 12 being between the ears and 6, backwards over the animals behind.
    Does you wind also generate a crackling rattle of dried grasses and shrubs.

    Backboards&vests are all the rage here, and have been for about 10 years now. They are even gender specific. It's even moved to an air system where in the split second you touch the ground air is pumped in like an a car airbag. You still get the educational experience and develop the muscle memory since the protection doesn't go lower than the lower back so joy of hitting the ground, sitting bolt upright, with your legs at 4 o'Clock and 8 o'Clock, giving every impression of a sundial, with the 'innocent' snickering animal behind you hasn't gone.

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    1. Ya know, I'm not knowledgeable about a sirocco wind, and its intensity. Honestly I had to look up the word as I'd never heard it before - other than ironically as the name given to one of the horses at my barn who was a kook. I hadn't realized at the time but a fitting name it would seem. :). They sound similar enough though. Although I'm not sure what we're getting is a Santa Ana per say as they're prevalent in the warmer weather. It's been much colder so they could be something different entirely. I don't really know.
      The thing with the kids (and again, this post is meant to be sarcastic as I am handling it. It's just more challenging than a calm wind-free day) is the screams and shouts are because they think it's a game. We have this "extreme" type weather so rarely that when one or two are surprised by it, the rest of the class joins in because it's fun. I think it's fun too the first few hundred times and then I just want them to stop and move along. :)
      I haven't been on a horse since I sold mine when I went to college at 17. And other than a few visits to watch someone ride I have not followed the sport except for the rare event I catch on tv. You mentioned the vests awhile back and I'm not familiar with them at all. I'll have to do a little research and get back to you. I'd imagine if that's the newest "innovation" in riding we'd use it here too, but that's only speculation on my part.

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    2. Where I live, whether you are involved in horses of not they are part of the background. Most of the breeding farms here in Tipperary have annexes in Kentucky, and Coolmore is just over the road a bit, as is Ballydoyle. And there is even more training stables. Then you have the 3d eventers and showjumpers. It's like you and films.

      I think my keyboard is on the way out. That my story and I'm sticking with it. That I'm not hitting the R key correctly or even missing a few letters/notation in my typing scheme, the 'm or 's being neither here nor there. :-)

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    3. Interesting those vests, we had nothing like that when I was involved. Just from what I've seen online it seems like it's huge in the cross country of the 3-day. Good idea! That sport is nuts! As a kid it was appealing, but now, just watching it makes my body hurt. :)
      When I traveled there (maybe 13 years ago) we visited an equestrian center in Kildare, I believe. It was the most beautiful horse facility I've ever seen, and I've seen a few. Those horses were pampered! It was great! What would you say the most common breed is there? My trainers used to bring in Irish Warmbloods to the barn and they were like the holy grail. Is that primarily what they're riding over there or something else?
      Isn't your keyboard brand new? ;)

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    4. Greed and stupidity over years meant the bloodlines were sold to places like Germany Sweden and the UK, not to forget the USA. Official Ireland had this picture that the hierarchy of breeds meant the local breeds were of a lesser standard and used the winning of competitions only as a meant of sell. The Irish Draft, more a war horse or heavy cavalry horse which was on most farms is now more or less on the endangered species list. Now the Connemara Pony, another very sane animal is being used for the steadiness and bravery with a thoroughbred. They call them Irish Sport Horse

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    5. Really, the Connemara? Mixed with a thoroughbred, they're not being bred for size, I'm assuming. Probably more speed and agility? The ones they imported in were giants, just huge. Clearly with draft somewhere in the bloodlines.
      Happy Friday! (Even though yours is half over already :)

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    6. The upper range is about 15 hands, which is the lower end for a racehorse. But since they tend to use the steeplechase mares and they would be bigger and courser they tend to end up with something of a good looking animal. But the cross between the racehorse and the Irish draft is a well made horse right enough.

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    7. Yep, they're beautiful. All this talk tempted me for a minute. I even searched dreamhorse.com...but then remembered why I'm not doing it anymore. :)

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    8. That a horse is a hole you put money into, and only the very very VERY lucky break even ?.
      H-o-l-y--frickitty frack, $45,000 AND AND another for $90,000.

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    9. I know right!?!? In Detroit, you could buy a house for that price. I did pick a couple out though, just in case anyone ever decides that teachers should be paid as much as baseball or basketball players. Then I'm totally getting one. :)

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  2. I'm sick of the cold. It's Texas. It's not supposed to be cold and windy.

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    1. Ohhhh I'm enjoying it so. The forecast for next week is back in the 70s, and frankly I'm disappointed. Christmas isn't supposed to be 70!!!

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  3. Ah, I remember the santa ana winds. They would wreak havoc during fire season. Gwennie must be a second grader she gets skittish in the wind.

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    1. Ya Rigby hasn't been too thrilled. The noise outside makes her jumpy and when I've taken her for walks in it, she pins her ears back and looks at me like, "what are we doing out here," when a gust comes up behind us. I'd say though, that behavior is more like a horse than a 2nd grader. The kids just like hearing themselves and each other screech.

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  4. This was so interesting : ). Horses and 2nd graders and wind. Who knew. I didn't take the kids riding this summer. I really missed it. I will definitely have to take them next year.

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    1. It wasn't a strong comparison, but ya know. :). I bet the kids will love a trip to the horses.

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  5. I am not fond of the wind...and yes, it does make the kids CRAZY! And I very much dislike recess duty in the wind!

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    1. Oh no, recess duty? We are VERY lucky that we have yard supervisors and don't have yard supervision duties during the break times...we actually get a break, for a few moments anyways. That extra duty is hard enough, let alone in bad weather. Hang in there...one more week!

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