True Story

Tonight I went out with a couple of my teacher friends for dinner.

As you know My Car is out of commission. And my friend Jess offered to take me home. She asked if I wanted to come out to dinner with her and our friends.

So we went over to Panera for dinner.*

My Friend Jess is dating Mike - Mike is Dave's brother - Dave is married to Nicole - Nicole is also my friend. It all comes together in the end. And feels a bit like 6 degrees of separation. Somehow I now feel the need to mention Kevin Bacon in this post.

Anyway... I was enjoying a delicious half roast beef sandwich and small bowl of tomato soup. We were all having a normal conversation when Mike (Who was also enjoying a roast beef sandwich) mentioned that he would like some horse radish sauce - I said I would go get some for the table.

I walked up to the counter and there was a man sitting near where I was standing. I ask the girl behind the counter for the horse radish sauce and see one of my former students. I say hello to E - tell the girl behind the counter that I know him because, he was a former student. Then the man sitting near the counter says strikes up this conversation -

Random Guy - So you're a teacher
Me - Yes
RG - You teach around here
Me - Yes
RG - High school teacher (nods his head in a weird way) - so does he get extra credit if he gives you extra sauce?
Me - No, he's a former student... (Please imagine the awkward silence that then took place)

I get back to the table and share that I think that a strange guy just tried to flirt with me. We all laugh at the table and continue on with our meal. Then the strange thing happened. Mike was trying to pour some of the horse-radish sauce on his sandwich when the tiny plastic cup holding the sauce flew out of his hand and went flying across the table. All. Over. Me.

I was laughing so hard that I couldn't speak. It was like it happened in slow motion. I saw it headed towards me and I couldn't react in time. Jess had to help clean me off. I don't even know how it was possible but I had horse-radish in my pocket, on my shirt, on the collar of my shirt, in my hair, on my leg. I was spicy and awesome.

The moral of this story is - well... I'm not sure what the moral of the story is.

So........ Happy Friday tomorrow!

*Stop what you're doing and go there for dinner or lunch or brunch or linner** ASAP - your brain will overflow with joy at the deliciousness.

**Linner is the meal to be eaten between Lunch and Dinner.

yes that's due today

Why is it that students love to have 'no clue' when assignments are due?

I write it on the board - say it out loud - post it on my website - should I call home too?

I know that it is important to have it posted in multiple places because students don't really pay attention when I talk*. I also know that some students are visual learners and when they see it they remember it. I also encourage my students to write their homework down in their reminder binders.

Yes - you are in an advanced class
Yes - there are going to be multiple assignments due on the same day
Yes - I expect you to look over the website while you are absent
Yes - you still have to take the quiz today even though you were gone last class

No - I don't offer extra credit
No - you can't get an extension on that assignment
No - I'm not going to stop everything I'm doing and tell you what you missed while you were gone for a week and a half.

But - even with all of this I still love these crazy kids. They make me laugh even when they are being insane - I had a kid searching through his back pack today looking for his grade check for band. The girl next to him turns and looks at him and says "You are a hot mess!" I echoed that statment - the kids laughed, I laughed, it was a good moment. The kid couldn't find his grade check. He has a 90% in the class - but is a little scatterbrained.

It's all about balance - and one of those things is turning your work in on time.

*it must be because what I'm saying isn't important (please note the sarcasm)

A slip up...

I may have laughed more in this moment more than my students. It was one of those slips that I didn't even think of while I was creating a Jeopardy game to prepare for finals. Check out the template here - So while we were playing this very fun game we came to the vocabulary section.

Students were supposed to give the answer - abated - but it was a fill in the blank question so here is how it looked.

The student ____ the teacher in order to avoid the fact that he was failing the class.

This is how I read it -

The student blanked the teacher.... *laughter and a red face ensued.

Reading this to a classroom full of 30 teenagers was not a good idea. I had to take a moment before we could continue on with the game. It was one of those moments that I will remember for a very long time. And I think I will also go in and change the way the question is written.