tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143643202011-11-27T18:00:09.446-07:00Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.comBlogger1791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-11757867438779682362008-08-17T05:24:00.002-07:002008-08-17T05:35:34.254-07:00

So sorry about my absence. I have had a busy couple of months and life is finally beginning to settle back into place again.A quick summary:The school year ended well and I moved about 2 days later. I proposed and she accepted on May 27th... (pictures on the photo blog).We got home on May 30th.Football started June 1st.... and has ran 5 days per week since.I met with my fellow English 12

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-20227447435744088272008-04-20T18:54:00.002-07:002008-04-20T19:06:49.842-07:00

..... and I've yet to hear back from my "new" department chair.I'm not sure whether to be frustrated, angry, ... or to just keep waiting. I know I sent the email to the correct address, since it was given to me by the principal. I'm hoping that she hasn't responded to me because she's still trying to sort out the exact schedule that I'll be teaching. Of course, I only asked about perhaps

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-16056770642443964802008-04-18T06:15:00.002-07:002008-04-18T06:36:15.223-07:00

..... I got the job.... and I'm awfully excited about it.As it stands at the moment, it seems as if I'll be teaching 6 sections of English 12 (but the schedule is still a little up in the air). The school operates on a modified block schedule, so although I'm teaching 6 classes, I'm still only teaching 24 classes a week, as compared to the 25 that I teach now. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, we

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-89176120631560423242008-04-05T06:54:00.004-07:002008-04-05T07:14:31.476-07:00

Still no job back in Indiana, but I'm still waiting patiently, hoping more interviews will come in the next few weeks. Most schools back there are just starting Spring Break this week, so that means contract offers should start to come out to teachers in the next few weeks for the 08-09 school year. People are going to have to say yes or not to those offers... which means that positions will

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-55111822776552305232008-04-05T06:28:00.002-07:002008-04-05T06:51:59.841-07:00

I was tagged with this meme from Mr. B-G. The meme's task was to "find or design a graphic that depicts the one idea you hope your students leave your classroom with."It's a very simple image, but this is one of the major motifs within my classroom. Having taught 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 12th grades, I've seen a vast array of personalities among my students, but one thing that all of them seem

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-26209532045712636732008-03-04T18:33:00.004-07:002008-03-04T20:27:19.806-07:00

.... and I haven't heard any news from anybody other than Carroll H.S. I'm not too concerned, since I know schools generally don't start actively searching around the end of April, but still, it would be nice to hear something from somebody else. I think I've got about 10 applications floating around Indiana right now. I will know more from CHS though in about two weeks, since I'm scheduled to

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-62418743341963511492008-02-02T10:55:00.000-07:002008-02-02T11:45:52.261-07:00

The "exciting" news that I was referring to in my last post.... several weeks ago... but you'll have to jump down a little ways if you're only here to find that out.Lately, it seems as if blogging simply isn't a priority in my life... never has been I suppose, except for November when I went 30 odd days in a row.... don't expect that again. School's back in full swing, wrestling has packed my

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-13072030782724659782008-01-13T14:02:00.001-07:002008-01-13T14:07:15.227-07:00

.... through the first week of the 2nd semester AND through the PF Chang's Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon. My time was 2:38:07, which I'm pretty proud of since I haven't actually "ran" since the Monday after Thanksgiving, and even then, I think it was just three miles. I ran the first 7 miles without stopping and then walked about 1/4 of every mile afterwards. I'm surprised that even with the

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-69993290500885440582008-01-06T14:30:00.000-07:002008-01-06T14:37:21.303-07:00

"Winter" Break is almost officially over and I can't say that I'm all that happy about it. The last two weeks were unbelievable, so to get myself back into a routine isn't going to be easy.I spent 12 awesome days back in Indiana with my family and friends, and honestly, it made me miss home quite a bit. I like it out here, but nothing is the same as "home". Back to class tomorrow and that means

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-24435947720429774072007-12-22T01:06:00.001-07:002007-12-22T01:21:20.410-07:00

... towards home.And let me tell you folks, it's been a long day. The scheduled finals happened just as planned, and to be honest, I'm thoroughly impressed with the way my students did..... almost a 70% average on the District's final exam. Yes, this sounds ridiculously low, but over the last 4 years this same final has been used, 9th graders among the four high schools have an average of 65%.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-45196621102575966792007-12-15T20:49:00.000-07:002007-12-15T21:04:43.202-07:00

.... but with nothing holding me to it, I just don't post. I know... I know. I could've signed up for that "post every day in December" club... and there's probably one for January and February and every other month....... but I would run out of things to say. Unless I chose to rant with every post, and I don't want to do that. Maybe I do anyway.. I don't know.But this is one of those where

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-67024786924486681512007-12-11T18:40:00.000-07:002007-12-11T18:45:51.773-07:00

.... and I'm ready to be finished with the semester.There's just something about teaching 5 sections of composition in a semester that wears on me. I'm excited to get into Literature, but I think I'm more excited about only having to grade two classes worth of essays on a regular basis. The Freshman started their writing finals today... which for some reason takes 3 class days, so I don't have

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-30045343428564855492007-12-07T21:55:00.000-07:002007-12-07T22:06:00.765-07:00

Well, they've all been officially turned in and presented, and I'm not entirely certain what my thoughts are just yet. Some of my students did excellent jobs presenting their religion projects to the class, while several just sort of went through the motions and did a pretty mediocre job of it. The students who went all out were also the ones who were the most open-minded about the project and

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-41742906868433507282007-12-02T15:23:00.000-07:002007-12-02T15:33:24.041-07:00

So here I am, forced to realize that I've got to work every day for the next three weeks. It's a little weird, since I haven't done that in... umm... 6 weeks or so. But it's back to reality for a bit, just before a three week hiatus for Christmas break. Had a good weekend up in Flagstaff. Got to see snow for the first time in about a year... and I can't say that I enjoyed it too much. It was

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-68192007103394230942007-11-29T20:39:00.000-07:002007-11-30T05:04:25.774-07:00

We're done.... and I'm exhausted over all of this. But all things considered, it was good... I only started running out of things to write the last ten days or so of this. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm taking a few days off now.Nothing exciting to post, so I thought I'd see about making you all addicted to this game. Seriously. I. am. addicted. And you will be too.I'm up in the snow...

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-73529458774869602432007-11-29T20:06:00.000-07:002007-11-29T20:39:43.446-07:00

... and I won't miss posting every day. NaBloPoMo really hasn't been all that bad, but I've found myself stressing over when I'm going to post. Last night was the perfect example: I'm in the middle of coaching my 215 lb wrestler in downtown Phoenix... 45 minutes from my school and another 15 minutes after that... and there I was, secretly hoping that I'll be home before midnight. Seriously...

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-56660066035688184702007-11-28T23:39:00.000-07:002007-11-28T23:42:30.246-07:00

Nearly thought I wouldn't be able to make a post tonight. Spent 6 hours in downtown Phoenix at a 3-way wrestling match that was terribly run. One mat... 3 Varsity and 3 JV teams... All had two matches. Ridiculous. JV came out 2-0, making themselves 3-0 so far. Won the 1st match by about 20 pts and the 2nd won 69-0. Only one kid didn't pin his opponent. Kids did very well, and that's a

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-3575275128124022302007-11-27T19:23:00.000-07:002007-11-27T19:28:56.712-07:00

And I'm going to have a heck of a time trying to find a way to post on Friday. It seems like I might have to get up extra early just to put some thoughts down, seeing as how I'm heading to Flagstaff at 5 am.... from my high school.... after I pick up the mini-bus... which will occur after I run... which will happen after I apparently wake up at 3. It's gonna suck folks.But there are two words

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-60543492508142442422007-11-26T21:09:00.000-07:002007-11-26T21:21:55.593-07:00

Had to go back to work in a number of different aspects today, and, admittedly, it wasn't easy.The kids didn't really want to be there, I wasn't quite on my game, and I honestly think that there were a lot of people suffering from a Thanksgiving hangover....I got to school around 5 so that I could finish reviewing all of those Senior essays. I'm going to push my Frosh essays back until Thursday,

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-11440239387277889042007-11-25T19:32:00.000-07:002007-11-25T19:35:14.017-07:00

... but the grading still isn't done. Looks like I'll be getting up early in the morning so that I can finish going over the papers. My freshman essays can wait through the week... I don't care about those kids as much.Great weekend... holidays are fantastic times for relaxing, and that's pretty much all that I did this weekend. That and eat. It was nice.But anyway, back to school tomorrow, so

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-46433065842530065042007-11-24T12:41:00.000-07:002007-11-24T12:47:34.589-07:00

.... are the greatest food ever. Especially leftovers from Thanksgiving. Nothing says "I'm fat" like two pieces of pie for breakfast, a piece for lunch, and then a couple plates of turkey and mashed potatoes in between. I love it.I've still got a ton of papers left over too, since I haven't touched them since Thursday morning. I may have to get up early and spend a few hours grading in the

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-3977603027840191462007-11-23T15:04:00.000-07:002007-11-23T15:06:09.100-07:00

The table's set; the turkey is in the oven; the mashed potatoes are boiling; pies are made........ still plenty of essays to grade though.Thank goodness for this being a 4-day weekend. There's still time left.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-88229899093724547952007-11-22T21:17:00.000-07:002007-11-22T21:21:47.712-07:00

We're still prepping for Thanksgiving with friends tomorrow. Just brined the turkey using Milton's recipe, so I'm sure it'll turn out amazing. His recipes have never failed me before. Cut the tators so that we can mash them in the morning, and Rachel is making the pies (Sugar Creme, Pecan, and Pumpkin) right now. I'm stoked about cooking in the morning and then eating all afternoon tomorrow.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-35302348729939700622007-11-21T19:26:00.000-07:002007-11-21T20:16:58.012-07:00

Sure enough, we barely got through what I had planned on today. But that's ok, since I've still got 3 weeks of class left to read the story.Oh.. and the turkey hasn't thawed a bit. From what I read the other day, a turkey is supposed to be able to thaw one pound per hour, but I'm assuming that's if it sets out on the counter all night. I'm not so sure that that's entirely sanitary, so I pulled

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-83652561986013654962007-11-20T19:59:00.000-07:002007-11-21T20:16:34.716-07:00

Down to one more day this week. I'm excited, the kids are excited.... it's terrible. Nothing is going to get done tomorrow, I can already sense it. Hopefully the kids and I do some learning, regardless of whether it deals with Mythology or not.... and I hope it does to some extent.I got the opportunity to coach wrestling for the first time tonight. Our freshman had a meet (they won) and then

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-27187157648194410972007-11-19T19:26:00.000-07:002007-11-19T19:36:29.716-07:00

.... in time to run this morning. And I'm not too disappointed with myself over this. Now, I recognize that the mini-marathon is less than 8 weeks away and that I have yet to run more than 7 miles at one time, but I figure that I've got plenty of time to train still. I just couldn't pull myself out of bed this morning and I figured that that was a sign that I needed more sleep. I've gotta

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-82354140708511017242007-11-18T18:12:00.000-07:002007-11-18T18:21:54.910-07:00

.... and I'm not kidding one bit. Tomorrow isn't Monday either.... it's more like Wednesday. Three day weeks and four day weekends... I could make this a habit. Well, I guess I have made it a habit of sorts. This will be the 5th consecutive week in which I haven't "worked" a full five days. What.. with a trip to Mexico covering a Friday and a Monday, Monday morning Jury Duty, Veteran's Day..

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-62317402554560199172007-11-17T19:55:00.000-07:002007-11-17T20:01:09.365-07:00

So for some reason, I simply cannot understand how people can think that shingles are painful. Now granted, I a) have a fairly high pain tolerance, and b) have what I would consider to be a "mild" case of this damned virus... but still.... I just don't see it. I can only assume that those of you who experience pain from this stuff must get it all over one side of your body.... and it most

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-13839423360403569752007-11-16T19:00:00.000-07:002007-11-16T19:13:14.589-07:00

So today marked the first day on the backside of NaBloPoMo. And seriously... until about just a bit ago, I had forgotten that I was participating in it. It almost feels like a normal routine to simply post every day. Weird....So I tried to refer a kid to our Intervention team... or to our counselors... because he's getting F's in all of his classes and it seems to me that he might be special

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-43273373798910854722007-11-15T11:08:00.000-07:002007-11-15T11:44:23.998-07:00

Do parents just not understand their children today?In the last two weeks, I've had several parents email or call asking me to speak with their child for them. Why? Because the parents are at wits end and don't know where to turn anymore because "talking" to their kids just doesn't seem to be working.Yesterday, I had a mother on the phone who was crying. Her son has D's in two classes and a

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-15797219987279979882007-11-14T20:45:00.000-07:002007-11-14T21:02:02.516-07:00

For the next few weeks, the topic of this blog will likely be Shingles. Bear with me... please.So I've got to thank everybody for their advice. Becca, thanks for the information about Shingles. Nick, the article tells me a lot.... so thanks! I hope I'm one of the "fewer than 5 percent" that won't get a second case. And Chili.... I'm glad I'm not the only youngster with it. Is this something

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-51973723122296978682007-11-13T20:11:00.000-07:002007-11-13T20:18:20.581-07:00

You've got to be kidding me!How do I end up with a diagnosis of having shingles? Seriously. The school nurse told me that the rash on the back of my neck was impetaigo and to put Neosporin on it, the athletic trainer told me to put cortisone cream on it... and the doctor told me it was shingles. And that they're painful. Shit.Ringworm.... impetaigo..... MRSA those make sense to me. I'm in

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-90841207175067818972007-11-12T07:32:00.001-07:002007-11-12T07:37:22.300-07:00

Well, here it is.... another day off of school that I get to spend grading.Seriously. Why is it that 3-day weekends always fall right at the end of our grading periods?I need to stop assigning crap so that I can enjoy my time off. Grades are due on Tuesday at 3 pm though, so I've only got 63 more essays, 95 spelling quizzes and 47 vocabulary quizzes to knock out before then. I hope I can make

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-4957090362709729002007-11-11T21:26:00.001-07:002007-11-12T06:11:25.836-07:00

From an actual student essay:"Also, Zaroff's dong chased Rainsford."Seriously kids, read your papers!

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-52504781699571003992007-11-11T08:33:00.000-07:002007-11-12T07:25:26.767-07:00

Eighty-Nine years ago today, at 11 am, WWI, "the war to end all wars", officially ended, and shortly after, Veterans Day became a national holiday to remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to ensure the freedom of those of us in the United States.For those of you who don't know the history of Veterans Day, I'd suggest that you look up the history here.Also, in commemoration of Veterans

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-54542004602430860162007-11-10T18:03:00.000-07:002007-11-10T18:11:14.612-07:00

So I woke up this morning about as sore as I've ever been. Yesterday, I woke up with a sore throat, which only got worse as the day went by, and this morning it was killing me. But, I was a trooper and ran my scheduled 5 miles today, in just over 47 minutes, which is a good thing for me.... although I've gotta run 7 miles next week.Then I went to wrestling practice to roll around with a bunch of

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-8681752334706650292007-11-09T16:40:00.000-07:002007-11-09T17:04:19.206-07:00

Interesting day today.Shortly after school began today, every staff member (all 200 or so) on campus received the following email:Faculty -Administration is asking, if possible, for you to spend about 15 minutes of your lunch time helping to supervise the student body. We have some personnel out today and it would help to have a strong faculty presence during the lunch hours. Thank you for your

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-78503145060158635932007-11-08T17:11:00.000-07:002007-11-08T17:30:58.190-07:00

Today was a good day. Kids took (and did well on) a test, I found a dependable sub, and I managed to run about 4.5 miles today.... and my foot isn't killing me.These last few days, I've been trying to give the students a few "easy" days since we've been pretty focused on writing for the last 13 weeks. So I gave a quiz today. A pop quiz (which they've been warned about for about 4 weeks now)....

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-85181209595893679962007-11-07T12:23:00.000-07:002007-11-07T13:16:03.659-07:00

What's your opinion on them?This year, I've gotten my students into the habit of writing in journals a few times a week, which was previously just a way for me to kill some class time when I didn't have much planned for the day. Now it actually serves a purpose in my curriculum, which is centered on the many types/forms of writing and the different voices or audiences to which one can write.And

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-86341495996878557642007-11-06T06:11:00.001-07:002007-11-06T06:15:03.032-07:00

I got a sub who actually left notes! And specific ones too, like who was absent yesterday, whether the students got anything done, and what students gave him problems. I LOVE IT!I think I'll request this guy next time around.... in January.As for me, well, I'm just happy to be sitting in my classroom at 5:45 am, rather than driving into downtown Phoenix. Glad the Jury Duty is over for at least

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-30424399348639586342007-11-05T16:04:00.000-07:002007-11-05T16:18:58.797-07:00

....... Seriously.I sat in a chair for 8 hours today and "learned" about the Judicial System's methods for choosing a jury. Of course, I didn't actually get chosen to a jury, nor was I called in so that they could ask me a bunch of questions, just to decide that I didn't fit the role of Juror. Simply put, I was summoned, along with about 500 other Phoenicians, and told to sit and wait, for 8

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-68050547052387742082007-11-04T06:39:00.000-07:002007-11-04T06:45:13.549-07:00

From the novel, A Hope in the Unseen, written by Ron Suskind. Pages 49-50"Hebrews 11:1," says Mr. Taylor. "The substance of faith is a hope in the unseen." "NO. Wrong - you messed it!" Cedric laughs. "It goes: 'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' Man, Mr. Taylor, you always getting 'em wrong."Mr. Taylor howls. "All right, extra point for you," but,

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-70473743215549109022007-11-04T06:05:00.000-07:002007-11-04T06:18:59.895-07:00

I hope ya'll remembered to change your clocks. Me? Well, I don't have to. I live in Arizona.... and apparently we don't care about what the rest of the lower 47 do. I'm still not entirely certain why we think it's important to change the clocks twice a year. Do we really need to hypothetically add an hour to our summer days? Nobody is really being tricked you know... there are still 24 hours

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-68241086228307292882007-11-03T09:23:00.001-07:002007-11-03T09:24:45.136-07:00

Why is it that when I click on the randomizer, the thing cycles through 8 out of the 10 blogs that I saw the last time around?Random.... hmm... not so much if you ask me.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-61879086126401771182007-11-03T08:49:00.000-07:002007-11-03T08:54:57.343-07:00

Just a jumble of stuff today. Nothing education related really.Back at running again today. Went 2 of the scheduled 6. I haven't ran in nearly 8 weeks, so I'm feeling a little sluggish and out of shape again. Foot ached just a tad, but it's tons better than before I stopped. I guess I'll have to wait out the day and see if it starts hurting at all later on.Weighed myself yesterday and I was

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-58073531495044907042007-11-02T17:28:00.000-07:002007-11-02T17:31:27.207-07:00

Seriously. I was summoned in August for Jury Duty and I tried to push it off as long as possible, but alas, I have to appear. On Monday.In Downtown Phoenix at 8 am....... something I'm not happy about AT ALL.....At least I brought home grading, so that I can get something done. And I had tried to prepare my kids, so I scheduled a computer lab all day so that my sub can just watch them type.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-46712105023581838172007-11-01T17:54:00.001-07:002007-11-01T17:54:25.095-07:00

I think I got that title right. So here's the official number one.Not much to say today, since things were pretty uneventful at school.My Seniors are progressing well with their Research Projects, and will be continuing on those through the rest of November. I like to take these things slow and walk the students through every step of the process, hence the 5 weeks of time to work on a 5 page

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-59257782099552086122007-10-31T19:09:00.000-07:002007-10-31T19:17:13.607-07:00

Well, here we go I guess. If I can actually complete this dang thing, I will be amazed. I don't know that I've ever posted 30 days in a row....Today started off with a bang. Got an email from a mother of one of my students..... which is normal, except this one was different from any email I've ever received.Mom just got out of jail last week, for domestic abuse against her husband, and cannot

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-16664674841741592602007-10-29T21:07:00.000-07:002007-10-29T21:15:48.218-07:00

After such a wonderful weekend in Mexico, and two days off of school, I decided to visit my classroom tonight on my way home......BAD.MOVE.My room is trashed. So trashed in fact, that I am still angry just thinking about it. And for a guy who's a bit of a neat freak, when it comes to his classroom, this is not a good situation. Desks were moved all around my room... chairs weren't pushed in...

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-21476039773354332932007-10-24T14:54:00.001-07:002007-10-24T15:03:27.915-07:00

I'm not entirely certain what to write today, but I figured I had to put it down somewhere.We lost a teacher today. He was in an accident this morning on his way to work and was critically injured. He passed away just after 10 am. It's kind of a surreal feeling to think about. As a student, I remember a teacher dying of cancer and it was pretty tragic for many of my classmates. I had never

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-70996413001312976572007-10-17T21:57:00.000-07:002007-10-17T22:06:06.659-07:00

So my 9th students and I are sitting through our local "Choices" Program today and tomorrow, and I can't even begin to tell you what a poor draw I got on presenters. All three members of the local Rotary Club.... .... .and not very "active" either..... OLD!Funny thing is that I told my students that they presenter could be young and exciting or old and boring, since that was my experience with

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-86409070866407695442007-10-16T21:20:00.000-07:002007-10-16T21:47:48.394-07:00

Three days in a row. Are you amazed? It's been a while since I've been on a hot streak like this.And because of Contrary - you can find her at "VeryContrary" on my blogroll over there, I've also come to hear about NaBlowPoMo. Apparently, since I've signed up, I now have to write a post every day in November.So, you'll likely get a jumble of things, ranging from a running log (since I'm going

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-46991041851193000942007-10-15T19:26:00.000-07:002007-10-15T19:33:27.297-07:00

Same problem after EVERY week-long break. I show up at school early to try and figure out what exactly I planned to do today. When it's a break, I take the entire time to not even think about what I'm going to do on the Monday afterwords.... but that poses a bit of a problem for a "schedule-freak" like me. Granted, I planned today out a few months ago, but then things started to change and my

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-40104575890416440162007-10-14T21:10:00.000-07:002007-10-14T21:16:27.427-07:00

Without a doubt, the above title is certainly the most significant clue that lets me know the student did their best job of proofreading the research paper sitting in front of me. Oh, couple that with the oddly underlined, blue streaks of words that appear from time to time throughout the essay itself. Clearly, this student spent hours toiling over how to get the paper just right so that she

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-30086580075204317282007-10-11T08:08:00.001-07:002007-10-11T08:13:55.376-07:00

Not much to post on my end. It's Fall Break, so we've got a week off of school.... well, 2 more days now. I'm swamped in grading, which my students are begging to get scores back on. I have visitors, and football practice is consuming my Fall "Break." But, the papers will be graded by Sunday, the visitors will leave on Saturday, and I'll be in Mexico in two weeks.....All is good.And the Senior

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-11294429027010619632007-10-04T20:51:00.001-07:002007-10-04T20:55:14.519-07:00

You should seriously consider watching this video. And if you don't have that much time, I'd still watch the video broken down into small pieces.It's of Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture". Literally. A Computer Science professor from Carnegie Mellon University who happens to have a unique perspective on life. He's terminally ill from Pancreatic Cancer and yet offers surprisingly positive thoughts

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-81409398961644569212007-10-01T19:50:00.001-07:002007-10-01T20:27:30.285-07:00

So I had a student come to my class today for the first time in 7 days. I asked him where he had been. After getting an attitude, and claiming that he had been in class (which my records say he hadn't been, but maybe he was several minutes late and I counted him absent per school policy) twice last week, he told me this.... and I'm quoting him here people:"Well, Thursday I was in court and

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-25315412270451264112007-09-30T21:09:00.000-07:002007-09-30T21:39:27.431-07:00

So here's the thing: Should I allow a student, who has missed my class countless times, the opportunity to make up missed assignments? Or, should I just go forth and pursue having her dropped from my class?..... Or should somebody, say my administration, hold her parents accountable for truancy and attendance violations?The story goes like this:I was talking with my AD / Admin about a student,

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-84752391857843120102007-09-30T18:31:00.000-07:002007-09-30T18:53:38.513-07:00

So this past week was a hectic one, for a number of reasons, but it went by quickly.I was observed for the first time of the year. Which was an interesting experience in itself, since my Admin also happens to be the Athletic Director. I wasn't sure who I had been assigned to, but this makes me happy. I am a coach afterall, so he and I get along pretty well. But, since my students were doing

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-86161568825908802792007-09-21T19:48:00.001-07:002007-09-22T21:25:48.406-07:00

Along with the research potential of having students learn about "little known" historical figures, Teaching Tolerance gave me the idea of having them do a paper on one of the many World Religions.I was reading a great article out of my Teaching Tolerance (Awesome & FREE teaching materials!!!!) magazine today, and there was an article about a school district in Modesto, California that requires

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-92048944451737922372007-09-21T05:45:00.000-07:002007-09-22T21:25:29.046-07:00

Anybody have some really good ideas for research projects? In the past, I've taught an argumentative research paper, but I want to mix things up a little bit. I have some colleagues teaching a Marketing project, which deals with identifying business plans and creating an ad. campaign. I've considered teaching an Entrepreneurship Project, where the students will work in pairs to "start a

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-59162040012438282882007-09-16T19:33:00.000-07:002007-09-16T19:48:13.737-07:00

Just finally finished grading the second set of Sr. Comp. essays today. I should've worked on them a little more over the course of the week, but it's so easy to push it off until the weekends. Problem is that I have to waste away a weekend to get it done. Oh well, next week I won't have any grading to do.... but two weeks from now, I'll be swamped again with essays from both grade levels.It

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-4414981694538591292007-09-09T20:09:00.000-07:002007-09-09T20:19:13.829-07:00

Well, despite the advice of MrsChili and my mother, I ran this morning. Felt as if I needed to do it.... so I did. I've got until Oct. 8th before my training program is supposed to begin, but I don't want to NOT run until then..... so I'm going to run a little every week. Nothing long and no more than 2 or 3 times a week, but I'm still going to do it. I'm going to try and lift a few times a

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-72576015341357472512007-09-08T19:00:00.001-07:002007-09-08T19:08:35.151-07:00

Due to a snag in my planning, I spent most of the week trying to get caught back up. Looks like I'll be doing a little bit of teaching as my students write their research paper, rather than doing it in advance and then while they write too. Oughta work out well though, since they'll be able to apply something relative to them, rather than do worksheets and a bunch of other practice junk. The

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-57417970139440129762007-09-05T21:41:00.000-07:002007-09-05T21:47:15.166-07:00

READ IT!Found it in the local paper this morning. Figured some of you might enjoy the contradiction of it all. My school passed with flying colors.... but others got screwed because of this little law. Faulty Education LawsThe State Superintendent is challening the law because he says it's unconstitutional. He's also challenging a number of laws dealing with SEI (Second Language Instruction /

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-79006443612740352922007-09-04T20:14:00.000-07:002007-09-04T20:41:43.017-07:00

I spent the last few weeks of my summer break trying to get everything planned out for the entire semester... and I was successful. Except for one thing.... I ALWAYS get behind.So here I am, sitting about four days behind on my planned lessons because a bunch of "teachable" moments came up. Because of so many obvious and easy flaws in the abilities of my freshman, I've essentially spent the

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-62090642854457668462007-09-01T13:13:00.000-07:002007-09-01T13:27:51.578-07:00

Still trying to get through a pile of papers, but it is mainly because I had a busy week and freshmen essays were the least of my concerns. I have been pretty happy with the papers I've seen though, and I've had several opportunities this week to spend time teaching about the grammar mistakes I've been seeing in their papers, which is good. I'm hoping the next set of essays will be better

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-55802891828267291732007-08-25T06:40:00.000-07:002007-08-25T07:00:17.730-07:00

What an amazing day today will be! The temperature is only going to be in the low 90's.... with rain. Probably the coolest day since May.... and we haven't seen rain in two or three weeks. It's going to be great! I got up and ran this morning and it was amazing. The temperature was in the mid 80s, which is great in comparison to the low 90s for the last few weeks. Made it 4 miles before it

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-72206169332163423942007-08-19T19:00:00.000-07:002007-08-19T19:48:20.961-07:00

DrPezz, over at The Doc Is In, tagged me for this Meme... so I'd best complete it. I don't think it had an official title attached to it.. so I gave it one!Here goes:1. I am a good teacher because...I love what I do and I love the students I work with. I do everything that I can to get to know my students well so that they can relate to the things I teach, and I constantly reflect and re-work

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-31248177016804468152007-08-19T13:58:00.000-07:002007-08-19T14:15:23.938-07:00

Just finished up grading spelling tests this afternoon.... so I guess that means school is officially starting to eat into my free time again. Nine more months....The last week went pretty well. All of my students started writing their first essay of the semester, and from what I can tell, they're already doing better at this one that my kids did last year. I guess that equals success

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-15464775459178249922007-08-14T19:24:00.000-07:002007-08-15T05:14:16.875-07:00

So what's a more exciting way to discuss the style and format that the parts of an essay must have?I spent most of yesterday and today lecturing..... and I hate lecturing.... ! I want my students to understand the format of an essay, so I've given them a basic outline of the three main parts of an essay (Intro, body, conclusion). They need to know this because it's all part of a good essay, but

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-44257743871045318832007-08-12T08:14:00.000-07:002007-08-12T08:37:40.318-07:00

So I sit here today with a few problems:One: I have no voice! This is pretty standard issue for me after a first week of school. It's also a sign that I lectured a little too much and that I've got to cut that crap out. I think part of it is due to getting after a few of my Offensive linemen yesterday during practice too. But regardless, it sucks.Two: I have a serious cold, which is ironic

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-18197233672625486602007-08-09T20:17:00.001-07:002007-08-12T07:27:24.056-07:00

Yes, the title is in jest. But in all honesty, I am looking forward to Labor Day already. After just four days of "work," I'm exhausted. Funny how a person can prepare so much in advance, yet the first few days of school are always crazy and hectic.I am getting used to my schedule though. It wasn't nearly as tough to wake up at 5 this morning as it was on Monday, and I'm sure waking up at 4:30

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-4194372184330046172007-08-09T05:46:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:28:12.236-07:00

Not much time for a long post, as I'm heading out the door. Maybe I'll write a little more over the weekend.Day number one didn't go too terribly yesterday. The kids were quiet.... they were on time.... they acted like they cared.... typical for a first day back to school.So I guess after this week, life will change.... I hope. I can't wait for the kids to start talking a little bit. In my

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-58853893731238202522007-08-08T05:56:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:28:35.755-07:00

So Parent Night seemed to go well..... for the most part. Lots of parents of 9th graders, not yet ready to cut the cord, and lots of 12th grade students, long past ready to be done with school.All I have to say about the students is that it appears like I have an interesting group. Freshman are always pretty timid, and last night they showed that, particularly in the company of their parents.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-33608301781707153072007-08-02T17:42:00.001-07:002007-08-12T07:29:15.955-07:00

As of tomorrow at 7:30 am, I'll be off and running with a new school year. In many ways, I'm excited for the year to begin, but then again, it's sad to see another summer pass. But there are so many things to look forward to this year, that it's difficult not to be excited... ......... Football Season, for one. .... not much to add about the season itself, but I logged two more coaching polos,

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-4587526244235443062007-07-31T19:08:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:38:28.934-07:00

To all of my fellow educators out there, I have a question.Throughout the day, three separate emails found their way into my school email account. The nature of the emails dealt with "limits" on class sizes, and were requested (Read: Demanded politely) by the teachers. All three teachers set their class limit at 30 students. All were math teachers (2 Geometry/Calculus and 1 teaches Algebra).

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-29029874912027090142007-07-30T19:03:00.001-07:002007-08-12T07:30:25.896-07:00

So I went into school this morning and was hit full on with the reality that school starts in a week.We are having "Wildcat" days all week, which basically means the kids come in and pick up their schedules, get their ID cards, and to be put onto our "official" class lists. Talk about chaos. All I know is that I'm glad that I'm not an administrator .... or one of the administrative assistants..

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-33407679425905541712007-07-28T19:52:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:31:05.570-07:00

So I made the decision today to actually shell out some cash for a steady internet connection.... a big step for me since I haven't paid for internet in...... ummm... at least 3 years.Yes, I stole.... let's get that on the table, but that's not the point here. If this were a perfect world, everybody would get wi-fi for free... at a high connection speed on a consistent basis.Anyway, it was a real

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-8951579184533500402007-07-24T05:50:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:31:58.322-07:00

...... What's the big deal?It's been a busy month for me, so I haven't had a lot of opportunity to blog. Couple that with the fact that I steal my internet (gotta love wi-fi) from the neighbors, so the connection is sometimes pretty spotty., and I think I've got a pretty good excuse. I spent half of the last month back home in Indiana with the family. It was a nice time and I didn't have to

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-17506136956341205822007-06-22T06:19:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:32:40.360-07:00

So I guess I didn't explain myself so well in the last post..... just so you all know, I'm NOT complaining about Summer Break. I love the fact that we get time off to recharge, re-plan, and prepare for the coming nine months of hectic scheduling and long nights grading.But....As a single 25 year old living in a city where temperatures routinely hit 100 degrees before 10 AM, it's easy to get

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-37480673016626531732007-06-16T09:20:00.001-07:002007-08-12T07:33:27.762-07:00

......and I'm bored. And this week marks the 4th week of the summer... with 6 more weeks to go before we start back to school.Despite the fact that I go to school every day for football practice and a few hours of "working" on next year's curriculum for my Freshman Lit and Senior Comp. classes, I can't seem to find enough to do. I also work evenings at a local Sylvan Learning Center..... more

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-49029453294493172832007-06-02T14:47:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:34:02.778-07:00

So after checking my morning news sites, I stumbled across this photo. My question is: What went wrong here?Surely a person who has raised tens of millions of dollars knows how to spell.... right? Seriously, we've got a National Spelling Bee, where kids can spell a bunch of ridiculously difficult words, yet a presidential candidate can't spell "Tomorrow"?Of course, I also noticed this post on

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-61686304947697365372007-05-30T21:54:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:34:37.201-07:00

Well, since school's out for the next nine weeks, this blog is pretty much going to become a place for me to list my random thoughts, personal daily experiences, and new discoveries.... which is precisely the point for this post.I somehow stumbled across yet another of Google's amazing tools. Besides Google Earth, which my students introduced to me last year, it's been a while since I've found

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-68582693161889462812007-05-29T22:17:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:35:30.437-07:00

Back after a few refreshing days of golf, gambling, and girls in Vegas...... well... there was only golf, but I thought I'd make it sound like a more exciting trip than it really was. I ditched out on the "checkout" day of school on Friday and went up for 4 wonderful and relaxing days away from Phoenix. It was nice, but now it's time to get back to work and start getting ready for next year.I'm

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-38405526464105913502007-05-23T16:32:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:36:25.943-07:00

So my student showed up this morning, and she was even on time. It wasn't easy, but I gave her my reasons for not wanting her to take the test, and then told her that I just couldn't do it. No tears, no complaints...... at least to my face.... and I don't feel a bit guilty about it at all, which is good. She did try and tell me that she's passing everything else (which must've all developed in

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-73227913352123718022007-05-22T19:43:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:39:14.195-07:00

So this senior actually showed up in my classroom this afternoon asking to re-take her final. She even brought a note from home........I told her to wait until tomorrow..... Grades for Seniors were due today. Guess she can't retake it now. Actually though, I went and talked to the counselors and they told me not to let her take it, since she didn't listen to my offer.... and her excuse was: "

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-46716746188508208432007-05-21T20:53:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:40:09.908-07:00

So, after posting the final grades for my Senior Comp. students on Friday, I received this email on Friday afternoon.Mr. Slater, Would it be okay if I would be able to take the writing final during class on monday? I know I missed it that friday and I should have completed it sooner. But I really need to pass this class. I'm sorry for waiting so long. We took the Essay final on May 11th....

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-57806729094548162522007-05-20T19:27:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:40:45.073-07:00

As I've been reflecting on my Final Freshman essays.... and it forces me to think a little bit about how well I've done "teaching" my students to write correctly. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do the greatest job teaching the concept of proper grammar to my students. Part of that is because I don't enjoy spending time focusing on subjunctive clauses and participle phrases..... or

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-1692436346765538412007-05-20T06:08:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:42:06.755-07:00

Where does time fly? Since I last posted, I've been pretty well tied up with all of the end of the year school work..... plus three weeks of Spring Football. I've spent between 12 and 14 hours a day at school since the first week of May. But it's been fun.We're down to four more days of school.... five days of work. I'll be a lot more excited about it once I get all of my final exam essays

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-36193877004212582732007-05-05T19:10:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:42:19.136-07:00

Thanks to Lara for pointing out this Meme from Tense Teacher.Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?I suppose Fantasy, since there can be something to be learned from it...... although I prefer Historical Fiction. Hardback or Trade paperback or Mass market paperback?Mass market paperbacks because they're cheaper. Amazon or Brick and Mortar?Usually Amazon. Where else can you find new books for under

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-70478960309135233922007-05-05T14:37:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:43:02.606-07:00

So it's been a few days since I've been able to log on, since our Spring Football practices started this past week. It's been a couple of long days, and there are still two weeks to go, so I'm sure they'll continue to be long days until school ends.I will still put up 5 blogs that have made me think about things. One of them that I want to nominate belongs to my cousin, Rebecca. Her blog has

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-49883826506030006102007-04-25T22:29:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:43:23.053-07:00

You may have noticed that I'm posting twice tonight...... there's a reason!What an excellent cap to a good day.Lara has nominated me for a Thinking Blogger Award.I'm honored beyond words. Truly. I don't even know where to begin with a "Thanks."More than anything else, I blog for myself, since it's a perfect way for me to reflect on life.... and I get to write too, which I love doing nowadays.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-59603122728719282352007-04-25T21:44:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:44:39.571-07:00

I discovered an awesome website today.... EdHelper.com. Well, I guess I re-discovered this website. This WAS the most exciting part of my day.For those of you who teach K-8.... it's an excellent website, with loads of helpful information, lesson plans, writing prompts..... for EVERY subject.... and for only $20 per year. Being a high school teacher, I had to pay $40 for a year's subscription,

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-71782568564589334562007-04-23T16:46:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:46:10.448-07:00

Today wasn't a fun day, but tomorrow will certainly be busy.On top of the dentist visit to get a cavity filled........ and not nearly enough of the numbing stuff.... I caught two students cheating on their research paper. One had the drafts and notecards and an outline, but the other nothing. I'm not sure whether to give them both zeros, since technicially it's cheating... or if I should flunk

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-50971681643828390002007-04-23T16:07:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:45:50.014-07:00

I'm a little late with this one... so two posts today.Overcoming the Odds Everyone has problems or challenges to overcome. What obstacles are you proud to have faced and conquered?Boy, oh boy! Where do I even get to begin with this one. To start with, I climbed one HUGE obstacle this weekend, at least from a teacher's perspective..... I graded 53 Senior Comp. Research papers in two days.

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-17690074827389767482007-04-18T17:34:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:46:43.615-07:00

Well, I am officially back from vacation, a reality that became painfully obvious yesterday when I realized that Mid-Term grades were due by 8 am this morning. Simply put, I got mine in around 7:35 am, after spending a large part of last night scrambling to get some more grades into the gradebook that were taken while I was gone. To top it off, one of my online classes ended today as well......

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-38158030495131643272007-04-08T20:55:00.000-07:002007-08-12T07:59:37.307-07:00

Yes, it's midnight on the East coast... but technically, we've still got about 3 hours here, so I think I'm still safe... .. and I'm wishing you all Happy Easter about 24 hours too late... but I've settled down to write for the night ... so you'll get your wishes now.It turned out to be a nice day, for a number of reasons... including the obvious one. After waking up just in time to see the

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-32322633126733086362007-04-06T06:37:00.000-07:002007-08-12T08:00:53.068-07:00

I managed to sleep in today... I made it to 6 am.I even had coffee waiting for me when I woke up......thanks to technology. (I know.. I can have it waiting for me everyday... but most of it would go to waste, so I always make it at work instead)...These are sure signs that it's going to be a good day.It's also 70 degrees out right now, and I'm looking forward to being able to spend most of the

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14364320.post-14005667965679947422007-04-02T14:11:00.000-07:002007-08-12T08:02:28.521-07:00

What a great day! Not only is it 95 degrees outside right now, but the Boys of Summer have taken the field again for another 5 months of excitement! Even though the Cubs didn't fare so well this afternoon, you can't help but be happy on such a great Spring day.Unfortunately though, the excitement doesn't always carry over into everything... like Shakespeare for example. My kids weren't too

Sethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509714224248852734noreply@blogger.com3