It’s late at night. I had a cold brewed coffee in the late afternoon as I graded papers. It was after 3:00. Caffeine after 3:00: not a good idea, he says, with nary a wink of sleep coming over him. It’s an hour before midnight. The full moon is rising and marching with Mars across the […]
Monthly Archives: August 2018
Sometimes it Works, Sometimes Not
Mon, 20 Aug 2018, 10:54 PM (-06:00)
I tried to get them talking to each other about math today. Just some light conversation about what kinds of gotchas they thought might trip them up. I had talked about some of the gotchas… dropped negative signs, missed terms, that sort of thing. “Talk to your shoulder partner,” I said. “Share what gotchas you […]
First Week Retrospective
Sun, 19 Aug 2018, 02:36 PM (-06:00)
So the first week of school was pretty good. Sure, there were a few heads down on the desks. And I did collect some phones and ear buds and a book that a student had in their lap. But there was nothing that pushed the limits. Push-the-limits events — belligerence, aggression, cursing… — have been […]
The Joy of Bamboo Wind Chimes
Fri, 17 Aug 2018, 11:04 PM (-06:00)
It was Friday afternoon. The students were working on a foldable. They were alternatively picking up and setting down colored pencils, shading in x-related and y-related things on their papers. The room was dark so that the screen projection of what I was doing was easy to see and follow. The only sound was the clinking […]
Daddy’s Ties
Thu, 16 Aug 2018, 08:51 PM (-06:00)
In the scramble of yesterday morning, I searched for a tie. I have not worn a tie in many years. I had not opened that container forever. It was a difficult search ending in all my ties scattered on the bed and not a one tied around my neck. (For what it’s worth, I saw […]
Observations from Day 1
Wed, 15 Aug 2018, 07:29 PM (-06:00)
1. Good Indicators I left early this morning so that I might get a few final things done in my room. The commute was fine, even though it’s outside the county. Indeed, the drive time is less than half my previous daily commute. As a bonus, I didn’t have butterflies which seemed a bit odd. […]
The Day Before Tomorrow
Tue, 14 Aug 2018, 08:18 PM (-06:00)
I should be reading the newsletter our principal sent this afternoon reiterating the things that need to happen tomorrow, the first day of school. I should be making a few more notes on my plan. I should be getting horizontal. I should be closing my eyes. But before that, a few words… Morning Meeting. As […]
Just When That Was
Mon, 13 Aug 2018, 09:39 PM (-06:00)
We bumped into each other in the hall. He and I had actually met a few days ago. He smiled at me like he was seeing and good friend. “Hello!” he said. He mentioned that he had heard that I might be interested in helping with student council. He nodded understandingly when I confessed to […]
Awesome
Sun, 12 Aug 2018, 07:56 AM (-06:00)
We met at Caspian Grill. “Could we have some must-khiar as an appetizer?” I asked. She glanced up. “The yogurt and cucumber?” “Yes please.” After Kelley and Gregg and Trudy, I ordered the Koobideh and rice. She glanced up. “The K2?” “Yes please.” “You like using the names,” she said. I agreed. She smiled. The food was […]
Our Convocation Chant
Sat, 11 Aug 2018, 02:48 AM (-06:00)
It was time for the annual school district convocation of faculty and staff who converged on the special events center on Friday morning. Breakfast was served, which served to motivate on-time arrival, even though parking was tight. Inside the auditorium, we sat by school, each of us wearing a school-specific T-shirt — ours Crayola Blue with […]