So I have been subbing for this third-grade class long enough to witness one friendship between two girls come apart... I don't know what happened, but it seems to have started last week, when E came up to me and told me that C didn't want to be her friend anymore, and that whenever C hung around A she would ignore E. Before the three had been constantly together, recess, rehearsal, and in class too, if possible. Today E tattled on C and her friend M (apparently C is not friends with A any more), telling me that they were doing something other than work. I didn't really have time to sort through the mess--if I did, I'd talk to E about tattling and how it's not good to hold a grudge or seek to get revenge by getting other people in trouble. But she's continued being crazy this week, and I had other students to deal with...

Besides what can a teacher (much less a sub) really do except referee and make sure no one gets physically hurt? I suppose one could see if there is a problem at the root of this, but perhaps they just no longer like one another... (for one reason or another)

Today one of the other students asked me for whom I would be voting, Clinton or Obama, and I said neither, and that puzzled her. Her. I also told her that a president didn't have to be good in order to be voted for a second term and that stumped her as well...