Ooops.

Realized this morning that yes, indeed, I should have done some grading over the weekend. My kids are happy they got an extra day to work on their papers, though.

For the first time, I am only accepting papers on TurnItIn.com, and I'm eager to compare the amount of time it takes me to do the job paperlessly to the time it usually takes me to do it.

Like, Whoa.

This past week was absolutely nuts at school, and I decided that the two days doing district work during my prep and then until after five pm early in the week were not a sufficient weight on my time and mental, health, so we also started some major movement in the house-buying arena. I had this silly idea that this week wouldn't be so heavy, but then I realized that conferences are Thursday and I need to spend my time after school tomorrow calling the parents of students who want to play chicken with my "you don't turn in all the work, you don't earn a credit" rule. The seniors are really risk takers in this game. I hope none of them get clipped by a bumper because they're just a little too slow.

Ms. Cornelius at A Shrewdnes of Apes asks

Have you evah?... thought that if one more kid who doesn't pay attention while you're teaching and who writes down nothing you say asks you what they can do to raise their grade the day after grades are due, you are going to snatch hanks of hair from your head?

Actually, Ms. C., I want to snatch hanks of hair from their head. Someday, they may have to put me into one of those jackets without hand-holes.

Bud the teacher got my juices flowing again with this beautiful photo.

My brother
My hope
My fear

Fast-running,
Dumb-talking
Little pain
In my

Heart every
Time I think
Of him

Doing
something stupid,
tearing through
the abandoned
lot on the way

home to read
his new book.

photo credit: carf

Five weeks left to go and

I feel like I'm still recovering from the speech season. With the showcase, State, the banquet and all the related drama, it's like it never ended, even though the last competition was over a month ago. I'm dealing with the ramifications of a thankless job that truly saps me. This season this year was not a good one on a lot of levels. The kids didn't do as well as they should have, and the kids' attitudes were poor. The seniors, in particular, showed lack of commitment as well as lack of respect for the team and the coaches.

I have spent a fair amount of time with my co-head trying to figure out the difference this year. What did we do differently? Were we too focused on expectations? Did we not include enough fun? Did we let the drama director push us around too much in the interest of keeping the peace? We can't put our finger on it, and that's at least as depressing as the crumminess itself.