While she was working on her Excel Math, CEB told me that her sister told her that she was dumb. Siblings can be so mean to each other.

Ms. N actually asked the class to pray for her today, at 9:30, the time of her surgery. The students told me this, and I told them that they could pray on their own. I didn't want to lead them in prayer, since I wasn't sure all of them were Christian. But I did tell them to either take it seriously, or not do it at all, since some of them were joking around. CEB seemed to be praying earnestly. You can see why she would be one of my favorites.

JM wanted to sit up front to do her math; the boy next to her Jose, made the comment that she was going to stink like the girl who normally occupies the desk, and that she was going to get fat too. I didn't find out until later, after she had lunch. She was about to cry, but wouldn't tell me at first. When the class was lining up, she stayed behind, and wasn't walking with the rest of them.

MGM was absent today--the other students told me that she was not coming to school since she didn't want to be made fun of by someone else at the school. Last week she was passing out invitations to her birthday party--I wonder how many of the students in the class actually went. Her best friend in the class didn't go, which surprised me. I hope she'll come back next week at least.

Another day at school. I had a chance to talk to the blonde third-grade teacher briefly while we were walking to the office. She's looking forward to the end of the school year, and wishes it was the end already. Some of her students saw me walking by and they said she would be absent next week; but they couldn't get their story straight, so I don't know if she's going to be gone for just a day, or for most of the week, but she is supposed to be there for the last day of school. I suppose I'll find out next week, since I'll be at the school until the end.

I saw Anita on Tuesday--she was being somewhat shy. Maria was being a bit mean and telling her to go away, because Anita said she didn't want to be friends with them. Most of the kids do come from poor households; you can tell by their clothes. Even though they are wearing uniforms, many will continue wearing pants with holes in the knees for a while. (I suppose another explanation is that the parents don't care.)

The skill of patching clothes has been lost. Or people just don't have time to do it.

The girls in Mrs. A's class told me at lunch today that their classmate Maria moved back to Mexico. She was just here last week; it must have been rather sudden or unexpected, because even her cousin seemed surprised.