Is that even possible? Well, we had cold temperatures. (Here in SC, it's been rather warm. So, our 33 degrees feels really cold to me. I am a baby now--I don't remember what it's like in Wisconsin!) And they (ambiguous pronoun, I know--the weather people) had been calling for an ice/sleet/snow mix for today. Phooey. We got enough ice to make it miserable--but not enough to cancel school--not even enough to go late. Enough to slip around on as you try to crack the coating off of your car--enough to make you slip as you walk across campus--and enough to cause the caring/overly-cautious public safety boys on campus to dump sandbox after sandbox all over campus. But not enough to cancel school.
As I read over that paragraph, I realize that it may sound like I don't like school. That's FAR from the truth: I do love school. But I had some cranky kids in classes today--they feel they've been cheated in some way. I thought my lecture on plagiarism and quoting/paraphrasing/summarizing was inspiring--and I can't begin to describe the joy my Nathaniel Hawthorne lecture brings to my own life. But it didn't seem like enough for some of them. Pooh.
We've been in classes for a week and one day now. But I got a call from one distressed student who proclaimed, after I greeted him on the phone about an hour after class, "I think I'm late for class! Isn't it Wednesday?!?" I calmly replied, "No, it's Thursday. And class is over." He said, "Are you sure? Where's our class?" I answered--with the patience I'm known for all over the world--"I am ABSOLUTELY sure. I'm looking at a calendar right now. AND your classmates are probably at lunch or in other classes since I dismissed them at 1:30--when our class is over." He said, "What should I do?" My response, of course--"Go home." Hee Hee.
Another student came running in the door of my office--all out of breath--saying, "I overslept!!!" (Those three exclamation points are absolutely essential.) I just looked at her--our class had been out for, oh, 2 hours or so by now. What in the world? She asks (still out of breath), "Did you mark me absent?" Hmm . . . how do I answer that question?
Wherever you are, I hope you're warm--and dry. (This freezing rain is really quite miserable.)
But remember: I DO love school. (But a snow day--once in a great while--is quite a treat!)
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8 comments:
I just read your post outloud to Matt, b/c I could tell after the first paragraph it was going to be rather humorous. Thanks for the laugh. By the way, we are in Minnesota, it snowed today and it was below zero on Tuesday. .. just thought you might want to know that we are NOT warm or dry:)
Hee-hee. Students can certainly have a knack for using excuses! What always struck me as a teacher was how irrational some students were . . . well, I suppose logical reasoning isn't the top skill on the list of most high-school students.
Bummer that you missed out on a snow day! Hopefully the weather will clear up for your weekend.
We are dry here in Ohio but it is cold and snowy. That's fine by me though! I'm a big snow fan and snow usually means slightly warmer temps. As long as Chloe and I bundle up, I even like taking walks out in the snow. That's right, I'm a hearty Wisconsin gal!
Miss Thompson! Is it you? Do you remember me? It's Mary Ann...you taught my freshman English class, American Lit., and a creative writing course. Those were some of my favorites (except of course the freshman English, though no fault of yours!). I found you through Alicia's blog. So nice to "see" you here! My sincere hope is that I don't offend you with my liberal use of language and grammer :-)
I think snow days are the most fun days of the whole year. Dont' give up, there is still a lot of winter to come! I was so looking forward to having a snow day last year while I was teaching and wouldn't you know, not a single one- no hurricane days, no snow days, no unscheduled days off. And of course, this year, when I am not teaching, they get a storm day before Labor Day. :)
Hi Miss Thompson!
It's so good to see you here in the blogging world. I've thought of you many times since NBBC. I still brag to my book-loving friends about how much fun we had in our novels "book club." I'm so glad I had to make up those 3 credits. That class was a blessing!Please keep the posts coming. It's wonderful to hear how you're doing.
Beth (Emig) Busch
I am with you on the whole cold weather thing. It's just not as appealing anymore. I had my fill of cold and snow during our time in Wisconsin!
Hi, Miss Thompson! Thanks for the story and the laughs. I miss being one of your students. One of my favorite classes was our advanced grammar class--in honor of you, while I was teaching I took my students out for sidewalk chalk diagramming once a year. ;) I'm adding your blog to my blogroll.
It's freezing here in Detroit. On Monday, most schools declared it to be a snow day. On Tuesday, when they had school, students protested -- literally formed a protest -- that they had school because it was still cold. Please.
Your accounts of your students crack me up. Do you know that your Advanced Grammer class was seriously one of my favorites? My only grudge that I hold against you is that you were sick for the first 2 days of my one-week American Lit. class during Winterlude. O well.
I miss school. I try to get some learning in here at home with Luke. Lately we've been studying the works of A.A. Milne and practicing our circles. I don't like to brag, but I draw a darn good circle. And if you ever want a good laugh, I would recommend that Milne guy. That bear with no brain is a riot.
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