Skinny by New Years

I have Sirrius Radio in the car and they play the most bizarre commercials. One of them is for this weight loss pill. Take it and night and sleep your weight away. It will fall off as you sleep. You'll be skinny by New Year. The web page is really something like skinnypill.com

Yea right. Give me a break.

Now this does make me think of this year's class actually. They just don't want to work. Every year, I have some students who are resistant to working, but this class has much larger numbers. If I give a challenging problem, the whines rise. Instead of using spare time to do assignments, they create spare time. I've had to change my teaching order because visiting is rampant. I always issue a challenge to students to not cut off educational opportunities today that will limit what they can do with their education in the upcoming years because they have no clue what God has planned for them, and still they look for opportunities to cut out problems, look for ways to visit, not start class on time, don't do their homework . . . Generalities of course - but larger than in the past. Skinny education.

I don't like your tone

Most days I like teaching even though I've decided not to return next year. Today was not one of them.

Event 1
My second period class is chatty and borders on disrespectful - borders. They are the same when they return to Bible. Today I had a student who I'd asked several times to turn around. I'd asked several times to quit talking. I'd done my usual waiting. He'd asked me to repeat questions several times. Then he whispered a comment which he wouldn't repeat.

Another student later in the day came up to me and said, "Mrs. Griffin, wasn't it funny when Harry said he didn't like your tone?"

What? I was flabbergasted! That wasn't borderline anymore. Harry was at his locker and admitted he'd said it. He did apologize. Won't happen again he says. mmmmmm I should hope not. Certainly not after detention.

Event 2
Young man who is going to be gone for ages on an over seas trip. I've been working terribly hard trying to get his work ready in advance - including exams, tests, keys and January's work for him to take with him so he can return and not be behind. His mom told the History teacher at car duty that they aren't going to take any of the work we've gotten ready for him with them on their trip. *sigh*

Event 3
After much negotiation, I thought we finally had an exam grade column on the report card for 8th grade that would help a) students prepare for the H.S. exam grade that counts 20 percent of their semester grade and b) help parents remember what that grade was come recommendation time. When I went looking for it, I couldn't find it. Had to ask. Principal changed her mind and forgot to tell us.

Guidance

This year, Kathy Glover asked to do Guidance during Bible. She's been doing a some decision making lessons and one of the situations was about a boy having to decide whether to live with his mom or dad. She made the statement that boys were naturally closer to their dads and girls were naturally closer to their moms.

When I got a chance, I had to whisper to her that this might not be true for a variety of reasons. I was closer to my dad - not that he was all that great a dad, but he was the one I gravitated toward. She asked me to share that, IF I didn't mind. AND you know, there were several girls that did say they were much closer to their dads than moms. Just because girls and boys are supposed to be a certain way - even in the best of homes - well, that doesn't always make it so.