2001-11-01
Rocky Mountain High, posted at 7:41 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Yesterday was a supremely stressful day here at school, and I'm not overjoyed about being back so soon. I didn't leave until 6pm. Yet, it makes the upcoming camping trip all the more sweeter.I teach three classes, ninety minutes each. Yesterday, I granted my second period class a pizza party because they asked for one and they're a good class, and they promised me that they would still complete the work that I have planned even if they were eating pizza (the work was basically listening to the gruesome Edgar Allan Poe story "The Black Cat" and illustrating one of the six Poe pieces that we read).
Okay, so first period - also sophomores - got wind of the pizza party in the next hour. First period for me (I have planning the "real" first period) runs from 10 until 11:30, so it's really not a good pizza-eating time. Besides, they're a rotten class (my worst of the day), continually talking while I'm trying to talk and stressing me out to no end because I have to be a bastard and hand out detention all the time, which just isn't me. Anyhow, a bunch of them asked why they couldn't have a pizza party. At first, I lied, and said, "Because you didn't ask," but then some of them reminded me that they did ask. So then I told the truth: because this is a bad class. They didn't like to hear it. I framed it as though they could work to become a "good" class, but it may backfire.
Then, my 7th period freshmen also got on my nerves, complaining about their lack of a pizza party. I told them that there's a chance that they would eventually have one, and they seemed to enjoy the possibility. But we did group work for most of the whole hour - for the first time that we spent so long doing it - and they were soooo loud. I was walking around the whole time, and they were talking and arguing about the material, but they were still so loud. I have no idea how to get them be quiet. After all, they were doing the material. They're good, sharp kids - they're just really young and it's the last class of the day. They like to play too much, and did I mention they're too loud? I got through the hour, but had a pounding headache by the end of the day. Today are their presentations, and the class better be really good.
The 2nd period kids cleaned up the pizza stuff okay, but my room was still trashed by the end of the day. I had handed out candy to all my classes (90 kids... 5 thank-you's... pretty nice), and wrappers littered the floor. Someone spilled pop. They all laughed at me for calling it pop. My room is such a sty right now that that's stressing me out a bit.
Still, all of my sub plans are done, and I'm out of here until Wednesday after today. I've sort of decided in my head that neither the 90 essays that I have to grade (I still have to start them) nor Friday's tests are going to count on this marking period. Every other teacher has advised me not to count it on this marking period, and I've decided not to be a hero and try to get all the grades calculated on time. I'll just do them as is, right now.
My sister got her Brad 21 card, which is a pretty cool thing. The family of this kid that I knew (we volunteered at the same elementary school, he gave me rides there) who had died on his 21st birthday from taking 24 shots now sends out 21st b-day cards to people turning 21. It's basically a warning message not to be like Brad and to practice moderation. Anyhow, you can have one sent to anyone you'd like. Back in July sometime, I ordered one (it's free) for Heidi, and she got it yesterday. Apparently they handwrite the message that they get on the website, so my family thought that I handwrote it myself. Anyway, she seemed to appreciate it and promised to heed its warning not to overdo it on her 21st b-day.
TV: Wednesday continue to be the best night of television. Ed was marvelous last night, and The West Wing was pretty good. The Yankees game was killer, though. I have decided that I really hate Derek Jeter. He just has it all, damn him. Talent, looks, riches, four World Series rings, Mariah Carey as an ex-girlfriend, etc. I'm also peeved that he's from Kalamazoo, yet he was a Yankees fan all his life, and not a Tigers fan. You gotta root for your home team. I mean, the guy is 26 (2 yrs my senior), so he remembers when the Tigers were actually a great team (World Series in 1984, Division win in 1987, 2nd place in 1988), so he can't use the excuse that the team is just bad. Anyhow, go Diamondbacks! Despite the fact that the Yankees have somehow become the sentimental favorite to win because of NY's catasrophe, I still am rooting for them to lose. I'm not a huge Diamondbacks fan - as I think they pretty much bought their championship with a lot of free agent spending money and I hear they were going to do a firesale like the Marlins did if they win it, which isn't a good thing for baseball - but I like a lot of their players, like Luis Gonzales and Danny Bautista (both ex-Tigers), Matt Williams (who looks like Shemp), Chris Counsell (who looks 15), and Randy Johnson (who looks like an ostrich).
I only had about six groups of trick-or-treaters last night at our place, which was a disappointment because I was expecting a lot more; our house is in a nice family neighborhood. I think trick-or-treating may be dying off a bit. I remember throngs of people when I was doing it, and just haven't seen that since I was a kid.
This could very well be my last entry until next Wednesday. I'll be spending five straight days up in the Appalacchian Mountains with no shower - hiking, kyacking, and camping under the stars with a bunch of city kids. I think it'll be a lot of fun. Just don't get near me when I get back until I can jump in the shower.
I'm going to miss the MSU/UofM game, which is a bummer, because it sounds like Apryl (who I was an RA with for two years, and lives in nearby Washington) is finally ready to hang out with Jason and I after living here two months, and the three of us were thinking about heading to the Alumni viewing in DC with Jessica and Mike. But, alas, I will be gone.
But I'll be having a good time.