December 2010
67 posts
Chapel Hill Campus Takes On Grade Inflation -... →
Does this validate the fact that I mainly give out Ds and Cs?
“I got through that sentence/like a subject and a predicate”
– fresh new Weezy (so thankful he has been released): http://stereogum.com/601612/lil-wayne-67/mp3s/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+stereogum/cBYa+(stereogum)
Girl with a Lesson Plan: Well played, Mr.... →
girlwithalessonplan: From Tolkien’s letter #163 to W.H. Auden:
Take the Ents, for instance. I did not consciously invent them at all. The chapter called ‘Treebeard’, from Treebeard’s first remark on p. 66, was written off more or less as it stands, with an effect on my self (except for labour pains) almost like reading someone else’s work. And I like Ents now because they do not seem to have...
last night
my mom, upon viewing the lunar eclipse: whoa, it looks so cool, like a penny!
it did look pretty cool, and some students also got up to look at it!
also, thanks to mr. c for getting me up.
hiding out
In the infinite wisdom of our school, two snow days have produced two days of remediation, rather than testing as we would have if the sky had not produced miraculous tiny unique flakes that accumulate into sparkling expanses of joy. While we did get to miss school, and I can not yell YAY loudly enough about that, we are spending the last two school days of this year remediating the small amount...
notes from the way up in the air...
One more golden email from my mom:
A prayer for holiday travelers: may your journeys be blessed with more good fortune than mine. My goal was to bring our dog Pamplemousse back to the US to live with her “sisters” (aka my daughters). Together we completed a 50-hour misery marathon of international air travel. However, like any good tragedy, it was punctuated by moments of comic relief. I recount...
“Who the hell wants to hear a totally flawless performance? That’s what’s trying...”
– Ben Folds (via fieldsoffebruary)
day off day off snow outside yay hallelujah!
Currently, Mr. I-S and I are sitting at the dining room table, wearing our accidentally matching j. crew but gotten for super cheap sweaters, but he is actually doing work! Bananas. It is snowing outside and Ms. L and I are planning an epic walk to the post office. MS. M is still sleeping (almost noon!) and Mr. C + A have already been out to play in the snow. Also, Law & Order SVU is a good...
ce n'est pas possible, oui?
Today I got asked by my principal to give up my planning period to teach a section of senior English, since we currently have not hired a new teacher and students have been sitting with a permanent sub all semester. While I would be compensated, they are unsure what that would be.
update on the Pamplemousse party:
Dear L and J and S,
Pampie had a great party last night, possibly our most successful party this season. She knew something was about when we started setting up, and monitored the door closely in anticipation of arriving guests. We had ten of them! In addition to the blueberry muffins, some other goodies showed up, in addition to Pampie’s long-lost lambie toy (which had been forgotten at a...
Good Hair
I am playing this documentary on the black hair industry that Chris Rock did and my students loved last year. Unfortunately it is going over my fourth period’s heads (what doesn’t?).
Evidence of confusion early on: Before showing the movie, I had the students do a write now responding to two questions - 1. What do you think is good hair? Describe it. 2. What do you think society...
“Blaming teachers for low test scores, poor graduation rates and the other ills...”
– Adults blame parents for education problems - U.S. news - msnbc.com (via world-shaker)
I definitely believe that the home plays a major role in student behavior in school, but how can we blame parents that have no model of good education either? How do we blame homes where parents struggle to help...
easing in and easing out
Snow is swirling outside, but I am still sitting in my classroom. As an NC native, this seems so wrong, but it is an EOC testing day, so I am guessing the school couldn’t bear to part with such an important event. Rescheduling is hard, right?
Anyway, this is no real biggie, since I don’t have to face students until the end of the day. Third period is testing today, which is my...
awesome email from my mom
By the way, here is my itinerary. Note that DYR I LASTEROMMET means ANIMAL IN CARGO — that is Pampie’s part of the ticket… love, —mom
yayayayayay CAN’T WAIT!!!
a little lamb: The Quote I Hate The Most. →
kicksandgiggles:toseealambatschool:
“You’re too smart to teach.”
What does that even mean? Since when do we not want smart people educating our children? You’re right, the key to fixing America’s education system is to have all of society perceive teaching as a back-up plan for the people who are not smart enough or driven enough to succeed at a “real” career. Because teaching tomorrow’s...
Welcome to the carnival...
…which was my classroom during fourth period. And for a good reason, instead of a sad metaphor! I made eight stations, each with either eoc prep vocabulary, reading comprehension, or grammar work. Each station sheet had a certain amount of stars, and the students had to come and show me each of their station sheets when they completed them. They then got to collect tickets according to the...
