Examinate! Examinate!

As I sit here in the school office on this early Monday morning sipping my first ~~cup~~ pot of coffee and inhaling that unique aroma of hot paper and toner, I wonder:

How much have my students actually remembered?

World History, American History, Civics, Geography, and Physics fall off the rollers, a corner staple holding each packet in place: terms and maths and maps; things they’ve seen all semester but won’t pay any attention to until at least Monday next. Exams start Tuesday.

Every teacher knows that tests cannot *really* test the human student, only how well they retain information. Yet, every teacher wants some vindication that the class they’ve taught all year can perform well come end of term. And – if I’m perfectly honest – I know not every class is ready. Ultimately, though, I have done the best I can. I have led them to the well of knowledge, but I cannot make them drink.

~~EXTERMINATE!~~

EXAMINATE!

Monday, 11 May, 2015

Sunday Snapshots

Despite the flood of papers threatening to overwhelm my desk in these last weeks of school, I did manage to take a few photographs this week.

This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. This is what I received:

Then, my sister-in-law bought yet another car in her seemingly never ending quest to find the perfect used car. The newest candidate is this 1996 soft-top Mustang convertible:

I attempted to capture the morning fog, inspired by Eclectic Odds n Sods current theme of “Momentarily:”

This week was also the school’s Junior/Senior Banquet – one event I honestly don’t mind chaperoning. Not only did I find a snazzy new silver bow tie (on sale!), but I also found some angry jewelry while my wife looked for something to match her dress:

We were invited by several of the students to come take pictures with them down by the river, which coincided with the heraldric winds of Tropical Storm Ana:

This weekend I was finally able to finish typing my exams and exam reviews. Smokey lent moral support.

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.

Sunday, 10 May, 2015

On the Loss of F_____

I’m not one to give trigger warnings. That said, I’m giving one now.

Things have a tendency to not go as planned. Several weeks ago, a dear friend’s health declined rapidly – unexpectedly, even – and he passed away. Even after days of relative sleeplessness, I found it hard to rest. My thoughts kept turning and churning and refusing to let me be until I wrote them down. This is an exercise in catharsis.

Some of my readers knew F_____. One of my regular readers is his wife.

[edit] For the record, I have permission and outright encouragement from the family to share this. [/edit]

If, after all that, you want to continue, click on to the next page.

Thursday, 7 May, 2015

Sunday Snaphots

I actually took quite a few photographs this week, mostly for the upcoming yearbook.

Nevertheless, I did take a few I can share with you. I’ve taken the liberty of arranging them into a sort of photographic story.

Is there a storm coming?

Yes. Yes there is.

Good thing I put gas in the car!

And what wonderful numbers, too!

It’s still sunny on the drive home.

And no, I didn’t take this while I was driving.

I was in the car, but I was in park.

No one was behind be, either.

It’s a perfect night to make some cheesecake!

Maybe we’ll go out to eat instead.

You will overcome great obstacles to achieve success.

Monday, 4 May, 2015

Lost in Translation

The other day I decided to have some fun by running book titles through the Bad Translator engine.

One of the first I did was Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things: Short Stories and Wonders, which changed to

You Can Write A Secret Medical History of Miracles

I found it funny, tweeted it, and went about my day. Imagine my surprise several hours later when I went back to Twitter and found close to an hundred notifications. How did this happen? How did this little tweet gain such traction?

The answer was not found on Twitter; instead, it was in my inbox:

That’s right; Neil Gaiman – the author himself – retweeted me! This means that I have now been retweeted by both Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer. To me, that’s epic.

Other titles I ran through the translator and their new titles are:

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances (Neil Gaiman)

An Experience to Report to the Police

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help (Amanda Palmer)

This Basis may not be According to Plan, but there is a Way, as You Know, of Fear.

The Silkworm (J.K. Rowling aka Robert Galbraith)

Insects, Of Course

The Cuckoo’s Calling (J.K. Rowling aka Robert Galbraith)

People say Crazy Things

From the Earth to the Moon (Jules Verne)

A Few Months Ago

A Pocket Full of Rye (Agatha Christie)

Large Sports Bag

Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)

Come On, Guys!

What about you? What titles can you mangle?

Don’t forget to follow me on:

Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.

Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?

Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.