First Quiz for Freshmen

We had our first quiz in English 1A yesterday, and the results weren't quite as good as I'd hoped for.  We're reviewing today, and hopefully most of them will take their books home this weekend and work in a little study time.  We're moving on to our next topic on Tuesday, so, if you're a freshman, be ready!  If you're the parent of freshman, be sure to check in with your student and encourage them to be ready.

Cardinals

Is it OK if I talk baseball today?  I'm beginning to wonder if the Cardinals can repeat their glory run from last year.  Shut out twice in row?  In Pittsburgh?  What happened?  I suspect that the equipment managers messed up and left the bats in Cincinnati.

Picture Day

It's very nice to see all of the students dressed up for Picture Day.  Of course, we have a few boys sporting shorts and tennis shoes along with their dress shirts and ties, but that's OK, I guess.  They look great from the waist up! 

Personally, I'm not a fan of picture day; I always think I look dumb in photos.  That rationale is the basis for the Chuck Norris picture on my faculty ID card.  Chuck never looks dumb.

Don't Shoot That Mockingbird!!!

I'm starting the classic Harper Lee novel with my two sections of English II.  One of my favorite books, To Kill A Mockingbird, is an American classic.  I especially like the first half of the book which has the power to transport me from my physical location to a small, sleepy town in Alabama in the 1930's.  While the pacing is slow, I think it perfectly suits the setting; I can't imagine that life moved very quickly for the residents of Maycomb.  In contrast to our high-pressure, get it done by the deadline society, Maycomb would be a welcome change of pace.  Where some might see boredom, I see peace and tranquility.

Cross Country

On Saturday, my wife and I went to SIU-E to cheer on the NHS Cross Country team.  It was a beautiful day, and SIU-E has a beautiful campus.  Of course, I'm a little biased since I went there to get my Master's Degree.  Anyway, it was a fun day, and I hope the runners heard me cheering them on.  After the race, we enjoyed a tasty lunch at Pasta House and a nice bike ride on one of the countless bike paths in that area.

First Week

I've spent the first week like most teachers, explaining my policies and procedures to the students and getting them broken into the routine.  The freshmen learned much good advice from the "How To Make The Most Out Of High School" booklet; the sophomores shook the dust off their pens and got back into some writing, and the seniors jumped right into Chapter 1 in their Intro to Speech texts.  All in all, it's been a good week, and this looks to be a good year.

Night Ride

As I was sitting in my recliner last night, petting my hefty Beagle and watching the Cardinals dominate the Astros, I had the sudden realization that the day had passed and I had engaged in no physical exercise.  It was nearly 9:00, but I decided that I needed to do something before I could call it a day.

So, without further ado, I put my dog, Macy May, down on the floor, and I went for a bike ride.  I have a bright, flashing, red tail light on the seat post of my bike, and a very bright LED headlight on the handlebars for safety purposes.  Fortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic, so I rode in safety from my house, around the park, out to the Middle School, and then back home.

It wasn't a real long ride, but it was nice to see the town winding down its day while enjoying the cool, refreshing nighttime air.  I don't think I'll make the night ride a habit, but I really enjoyed it last night, and I went to bed feeling better since I worked in at least a little exercise.

Inner Strength

I'm spending some time discussing goal setting, focus, and responsibility with my students today.  It's always interesting, and sometimes inspiring, to hear the goals they've set for themselves and to see how hard they work to achieve those goals.  So, in the spirit of the conversation, I'm sharing one of my personal goals with you, and maybe some of you can help me maintain focus and dedication when my inner strength wanes.

Two years ago, I was heavier than I've ever been.  At the end of that school year, I had dropped 36 pounds and felt great!  Sunday, the scale informed that I was back within four pounds of my highest weight.  GRRRR!!!!

My goal is to get down to 200 pounds by Christmas, but it isn't going to be easy.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to eat, (and somebody put an Oreo cake in the teacher's lunch room)!  So, if you see me starting to lose my inner strength, give me a nudge and get me back on track.  Much thanks to Mr. Poggendorf for getting me to walk past the Oreo cake and not eat any of it.

New Equipment

As most of my students know from last school year, my LCD projector gave up the ghost.  I made it through the rest of the school year by borrowing one from the library, (much thanks to Mrs. Ludwig).  I'm very happy and excited to now have a 47" Vizio HDTV mounted on the north wall of my classroom.  I have my PC connected to it as well as the cable TV connection that used to be connected to the old Channel One TV.

Now, I can show any video or Power Point from my computer, or we can view the cable TV feed.  No longer will students have to rearrange desks to accommodate the bulky projector cart. No longer will I have to turn of the classroom lights to see the blurry projected image.  No longer will we have to worry about the projector deciding it doesn't want to work today.

If you haven't seen the new setup, stop in sometime and check it out!

First Day

One down, one hundred and seventy nine to go!  I enjoyed seeing our returning students and meeting our new students for this school year.  My room is all set up and ready to go for tomorrow.  The recording studio is still a work in progress, but I'll get it shaped up this week.  Tomorrow, I hope my students are ready to get started; I know that I am ready and excited to begin!

I Bet You Missed Me! I'm Back!

A hot, dry summer equals hard times for farmers, and it seriously impacts my desire to ride my bike, but there is a bright side.  I haven't had to mow my yard since mid-June!

Now, fall weather is arriving, and school is about to start up.  I've done a lot of work in Room 14, so be sure to come in to check it out and say "Hi."  I'm not going to give away the big changes; you'll just have to come see for yourself.

So, enjoy your last weekend of freedom, (I'll try to do the same), and I'll see you on Monday.