Things I bet you didn't know

Every year when I am grading research papers, I learn so many new facts. I'm quite sure that you never knew them either. This year has been no exception. I decided that I didn't want to keep all of the valuable nuggets of information to myself, so I'm here to share with you some of the things I've learned over the past couple of weeks.

First of all, in a paper about the Harlem Renaissance, I learned that:

• W. E. B. DuBois was a musician who became full-blown junkie in his later life and that nothing anyone did could help him kick his habit. Having never heard this before, I did a quick google search and pulled up the NAACP website about Mr. DuBois. Nowhere on their site did I find mention of this horrible habit. So either they are unaware that one of the pioneers of the Civil Rights movements became entangled in drugs or they choose to ignore that fact and focus on all of the positive things he did for the African American people or the student was trying to blow smoke up my ass. I'm voting for #3.
• The same student said that C. J. Walker was also a dope head who wrote poetry. Oh yeah. C. J. was a man. Hmmm...I wonder where the Madam comes from. I guess the C. J. Walker I'm thinking of who made millions because of her hair products was a different one.
• ***The really sad thing about this is that this particular student is an African American male. His grandmother is employed by our school system in the central office, and she knowledgeable about her culture. Apparently, she didn't pass that along to her grandson.
• ***These comments aren't direct quotes because I graded that paper at school yesterday. The actual sentences make very little sense.

About brain cancer:

• "A sexual headache can be very strange but it is right before orgamism and is believed to be a vascular headache." (Not really sure what an orgamism is. Surprisingly, if you google it, you will actually get some hits. It didn't help in determining what one is, though. LOL)
• A rash can conclude a rare condition, such as ringworm or contact dermatitis.

About panic attacks:

• Some doctor will give you something that is called SSRIs. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors is a drug that helps patients feels more alive and controls their movements from panic attacks. (Hmm...control their movements from panic attacks??)
• ***Granted this student has an IEP, so her paper is really not good. However, she worked her BUTT off the entire time we were doing research. She was in the library or in my room every available minute working, asking questions, or getting clarification. Even though her paper is not very good, she followed EVERY step correctly, and got a passing grade on it. I tell them OVER and OVER that if they will DO AS I ASK THEM, they can and will pass the paper!

I have so many other great nuggets, but the other papers are at school, and I don't remember all of them. I don't think I'll ever forget about W. E. B. DuBois and MADAM C. J. Walker, though.

Allergies have driven me insane today, so I'm about to call it a day. Oy, it's not even 7:00. Still, day's done for this chick.

As always, have a GREAT day!

Two down. One to go.

John has his second carpal tunnel surgery this morning. I'm sitting here now just waiting for them to call to tell me I can go back. It shouldn't be too much longer. Dr. Rigsby called about 10 and said he was on his way to recovery. It didn't take him long to come out from under the anesthesia last time. Dr. Rigsby said this one went well, too. Yea! Maybe John will have some relief! Since he had his left wrist done three weeks ago (today, as a matter of fact) he hasn't had the first problem with it. Not once has it gone to see or had that tingly feeling. The funny thing, though, is that whenever he needs a jar opened, he hands it to me. He hasn't gotten his strength back yet, and it may take another couple of months before he does. (Heaven forbid that he never gets it all back. He is perfectly capable of doing things, but it would be frustrating to go through the rest of his life having to ask people to open jars for him.)

He'll see Dr. Rigsby again a week from tomorrow to get the stitches out, and I guess they'll schedule the neck surgery at that time. Now, THAT surgery makes me nervous! I know so many people who have had this surgery, and all have done well, but still...it's scary to me!

I've used this morning to be productive. I got several research papers graded. The rest HAVE to be finished by Tuesday. I'll use Friday (Senior Honors Day) to try to finish up so I don't have to do them over the weekend. I want to play this weekend. :)

Gotta run. Hopefully, the next phone call will be the one telling me I can go back, get John dressed, and be on our way.

As always, have a GREAT day!

♥,

The end is here

The end of the school year is upon us. Everybody in the field of education...students, teachers, administrators, counselors, secretaries, custodians...begins to count down the days somewhere around the five-weeks-to-go mark. Weeks 5, 4, and 3 seem to ddddrrrraaaagggg on forever, but then you wake up one Sunday morning and realize that there are only nine school days left, and of those nine, two are exam days. That leaves only seven instructional days. Don't forget Senior Honors Day when the class of 2010 will have the honors program and then be dismissed for the rest of the day. Man, that leaves only six days! Then we begin to wonder how we're going to finish everything in only six or seven days. I still have to do this and this and that, and oh yeah, there is that, too. YIKES!

But as I wonder about the last six days, I think back to the previous 174. I think of all of the students I've had the pleasure to teach and to learn from. I wonder what their futures hold for them. I pray for them daily...prayers for their happiness and success. I worry about them. Will they make the right decisions as they go through life? Will they do all they can to grow into the adults I know they are capable of becoming? I hope for them. I love them. All of them. Even the ones who have tried my patience. Daily.

This is the end of my fourth year in a general ed. classroom. The first year I taught English in the gen ed classroom, I had one English 9 class, in addition to the English 12 classes; the second year, I had one English 10 class first semester and one English 11 class second semester along with the English 12; last year I had English 11 and English 12. So over the last four years, I've had several of this year's seniors in one of those other classes. That has helped me get to know so many of the senior class, even if I didn't teach them this year. And there are a few I've known since they were lowly 8th graders. It has been so much fun to watch those I've known for the last four or five years grow into the young adults they are. Some of them continue to make me shake my head. LOL

As the last few days speed by (because they will at this point), I watch them become anxious for the next stage of their lives to begin. I tell them to SLOW DOWN and enjoy this time, but they don't listen. (For the record, neither did I at 18.) I try to impart a few words of last-minute wisdom, and I hope that something I have said or done over the last year will remain with them.

If I were to offer advice to them, this is what I would say: To the seniors of 2010, I wish you a long life filled with love, joy, happiness, success. Make sure you work hard, but don't forget to take time to play. If you love and laugh, life will take care of itself. And remember I love you.

As always, have a GREAT day!

Gonna be a LONG day

1. It's Friday, and I just don't want to be here. We're going to the lake for the weekend, and I would really prefer to be there right now.

2. A lot of the seniors have taken a skip day. Next Friday is the "official" skip day, but they wanted to take off on their last real Friday. I have enough that I could have gone on with Macbeth, but they begged. And I gave in. I don't know who has senioritis more-them or me.

3. The end of the year is just ahead. I don't know what happens to time between the middle of April & the end of May but it slows to a CRAWL. Then between June & July, it goes into warp speed to make up.

Yeah, I've made this post during school-from my phone. I need to wrap up though so I can get ready for my next class.

Have a GREAT day.

Macbeth!!

We started Macbeth in my senior English classes today, and that makes me VERY happy! I absolutely LOVE teaching this play. Okay, so yeah, maybe that makes me somewhat of a nerd, but that's fine by me. I taught English 9 one semester, and we did Romeo and Juliet. I enjoy the play, but I didn't enjoy teaching it. I'm not really sure why.

When I taught Macbeth last semester, I was so sick. The first day of actually studying the play, I had NO voice. Whatever I had made me feel like total and complete crud. I did a horrible job getting started, and it showed. The kids hated it. A couple of my girls made signs and hung them around my desk. They said things like "NO MORE MACBETH!" "Macbeth is AWFUL!" So, I hope that maybe this semester will be better. So far, I've had students who haven't said two words all semester making comments. I take that as a good sign.

One of the things on my bucket list is to spend a summer (or at least a month) in England. When I was in the 4th grade and until I was probably in junior high, I had a pen pal from England. His name was Graham, and he made me fall in love with his country. I began dreaming of going, but it is a dream that hasn't come true. Yet. And it may never come true. But as long as I'm not dead, I'll continue to hope that the opportunity will come along. If I ever make it, I would LOVE to be able to see Macbeth performed on stage at The Globe. (That's a second item on my bucket list.)

So for the next week or so, I will LOVE every single minute of my English 12 classes, even if they kids drive me crazy because they only have 11 more days. (Seniors that is. Everyone else has 13.)

That's it for now. Gotta watch House. I am in luv with Dr. Gregory House!

Have a GREAT day!