Monday, Nov. 15, 2004
Back to the grind, posted at 10:56 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Baltimore Bloggers Happy Hour is Tuesday night at Lulu's @ 5pm - more info in previous two posts.Returning from the trip has found me way, way behind in my work at school. Grades were due last week, but the grade verification forms are due on Wednesday, which means all my grades are due this date. However, I'm behind on everything and literally have a foot of papers to grade. I was thinking for a bit of taking tomorrow off to grade, but I can't do that because I'm observed on Monday and have to make sure these A day kids - who I haven't seen in a week and a half because of my trip - are whipped into shape sufficiently.
It was good to be back today, though. The kids were especially good-natured, and it sounds like they had a horrible experience with the subs. One sub walked out because of the cursing in the Lord of the Flies film. Another left me a long rant on one of the handouts that I can't begin to understand and can't even describe. Another showed my 11th graders the film my 9th graders were to see, a film about Troy that has everything to do with the 9th grade curriculum and nothing to do with the 11th grade curriculum. I'm not sure where they get these people, but I know today a sub didn't show up for a colleague's class and the department head had to cover the classes all day, so I guess they figure any warm body is better than no body.
I'm about to start a unit on The Odyssey with my 9th graders and a unit on Frankenstein with my 11th graders. I haven't written either unit yet, and both are basically new for me. I'm so concentrated right now on grading that I'm falling behind on planning.
Speaking of which, I'm back to tomorrow's lesson. I'm not sure if the morning gym trip is going to work tomorrow, either.