What a great thread! I am really enjoying everyone's responses. None of us are truly solitary gardeners. We all partner with nature, which can be our biggest ally or our greatest enemy, at times. Gardening has taught me both perseverance, and hope, because our gardening partner (Mother Nature) is fickle, at best. As the sun and rain nourish our gardens, we also contend with insect and animal invasions, flooding, drought, extreme heat, extreme cold. I can get so discouraged at times, but we all persevere and keep going. Gardening tests your mettle and your faith. But, when the fragrance of roses and honeysuckle fill the garden with their sweetness, when butterflies flock to my flowers, when a perennial emerges from the ground that I thought had died over the winter, when a pass along plant from a friend thrives, when I see a bird splash in our bird bath on a hot summer day, when I harvest fresh herbs after a rain storm....well, it is nothing short of perfection!! May all your gardens thrive and make you smile! Marilyn

I just joined this forum after reading this particular post so that I could post something in response to it. It angers me that a teacher would place his/her hands on a student in any manner other than that of some kind of aid. I don't care what the excuse, this teacher should NOT have slapped your daughter in the face. "In a playful manner" as a student suggested, is ridiculous and regardless if it was "playful" should definitely be made an issue of as far as I'm concerned. There are things you don't do as a teacher or someone in an authoritative position. What was the purpose of it? And as someone else mentioned, the fact that this teacher asked "are you going to quit like you did last year" is a really miserable thing to say. I know this was quite a while back according to the date of the last post, but I really think it's worth at the very least taking a mental note of what you'd do if ever it happened again with this teacher or another. (or anyone for that matter) Not saying go out for "blood" and get him fired, but demanding at least a simple apology would be better than nothing at all. Just my two cents.

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Helmut Schmidt: The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.