Blood Pressure

So I went to school, and was mad right off the bat. Just mad about being there, mad about all the stuff I have to do, mad that I have to deal with the crazy kids that belong to everyone else...I'm just sick of it.

We got the announcement that our teacher's association has reached a tentative agreement with the district for our salary. Get this--to get the extra .4% (read that percentage carefully--it's "point four percent" or "four-tenths of one percent"), we have to work extra days! That's right--they'll give us more money if we work more days.

Um....that's not a raise?

So anyway, our school nurse is a nurse practitioner, which I think means that she can write prescriptions and do most anything a general doctor can do. I asked her if she would check my blood pressure, and she agreed immediately, and I mean right that second. She got the blood pressure cuff and did it right then. The upper number was more than 20 points higher than it normally is! I knew my job was affecting my health.

She told me she would come take my blood pressure again, at some other point in the day and she wouldn't tell me when. She thought it would be better then, and she was right--she came right in when I was teaching class! I sat down and she took my blood pressure--the kids were very interested. Those numbers were much better--the top number was 20 points lower than in the morning, and the bottom number was 2 points lower.

So, I'm most relaxed when I'm with kids, and full of MURDEROUS RAGE when I'm not. Oh, and they are going to pay us a few more peanuts, but only if we work more. That's not a raaaaaaaise!

I've gotta figure how I can chill out.