Mourning

As you walk onto my campus this morning it is a sea of black clad students. Everywhere you look there are hundreds of students donning their best black and crying, some of them hysterically. Tragedy has hit. One of our freshmen was hit by 2 different cars and died on Friday night. Pain is evident. Loss is everywhere.

We are hurt.

Cheating and Love Notes

So lately there has been a real problem with cheating at our school. The cheating is happening the most among the honors kids too. I was talking to a senior colleague of mine and he told me that it is normal for the honors kids to cheat more because they are smarter when it comes to cheating and thus they just do it better. Well in the past two weeks I have actually caught 5 students in my honors English class cheating. It has been rough. The most recent incident was just a couple days ago on Monday during a reading check quiz for To Kill a Mockingbird.

Well the students had a vocabulary test today (it is a short week so we did it today) and this is what I received from said Monday cheating student:
Best love note I have ever gotten. I pretty much just want to correct all the grammar, spelling and syntax mistakes and give it back. I am also glad that I was given permission to show this to the parents because you know, I wouldn't have otherwise...oh students, how little you know and understand.

Marie Claire

There is a ton of outrage and debate going on about the recent Marie Claire article that was published. If you have not read the article and do not know what I am talking about...here is the link: http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/dating-blog/overweight-couples-on-television

I read the article last night after a friend posted it online. I have since read many many of the comments. They are ridiculously emblazoned with hatred, just like the article. The difference is righteous indignation vs. discrimination. I fully support the idea that obesity is something that needs to change in our nation. I understand that there are a lot of problems with the "healthiness" of our current society climate. I DO NOT support the idea that just because people are overweight they should be forced to stay inside and not be allowed to be in public, either digitally or physically.

The article is supposed to fundamentally be about whether over weight people should be allowed to kiss on TV. However, what it turned into was a bashing of overweight people and discrimination and name calling thereof.

I am currently teaching To Kill a Mockingbird to my English 2 Honors class. The book is filled with racism, segregation and discrimination. I used this article as a modern day version of the same behavior in a different package. It led to an amazing discussion about ignorance, freedom of speech and discrimination in our everyday lives.

Marie Claire, you should be ashamed of yourself. This writer and approving editor should be fired. This is ridiculous.

Urban Cow

I did it. I was able to complete the half marathon. 13.1 miles. very very hard. This time, no puking at all.

I did not have an amazing time (2 hours 57 minutes 10 seconds). But I FINISHED!

wow.

Running.

I have been running so much and I am really excited about it. I think I am at 4 runs just this week alone.

I love it.

I love everything about working hard and feeling myself move. My run is getting closer. Only 24 days left. This weekend I am going to try and do a long run. I need to see if I am still working correctly. Since coming back from the broken leg, running is a whole lot harder. I know that I will get back to the point I was once at, but training for 3 months makes you a little more prepared than training for about one month.

This is hard. Really hard.

...I like it.

Urban Cow

So I have finally done it. I have registered for my next half marathon. I was a little scared to do it. I mean last time I broke my leg. I also thought there was going to be a potential injury again. Well my foot is fine. I just have a to ice like crazy and continue to give it nice long good stretches.

I am a little scared. In one month I am running a half marathon. I only have 30 days in order to get preped. I think I can do it though.

Training Schedule:

Run a lot.

I think I might go out for a run right now.

I teach High School...

last Friday was one of those days that makes you stop and say, "Wait, is this really my life? This doesn't actually happen to people who teach high school." Let me tell you, apparently it does.

While talking to my TA during fourth period a student ran up to my desk. Doing the potty dance she exclaimed, "I really need to go to the bathroom."

"ok, where are your bathroom passes?"

"I don't know but I really really need to go."

"alright, go to the bathroom and then when you get back find a pass and give it to me."

"But I don't know where the closest bathroom is."

I explained how to get to the restroom (across the small quad outside my room) and she left.

I was under the impression that she ran to the bathroom but a short time later another student approached.

"Ummm...we have a situation over here."

I went to talk to the table where this "situation" occurred.

As I walked up the original student whom asked to go to the restroom was sitting there. In a barely audible whisper I heard:

"I peed my pants"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! is all I could think. I responded that she can go to the nurse and call home so that she can get new clothes and such. To which she explained that she could not go because the back of her shirt was all wet. I gave her my personal sweatshirt to wrap around her waist and sent her on her way.

Now what? My floor and chair are covered in urine and I have a classroom full of kids that don't know what is going on and I don't want to embarrass this poor freshman any more than she is already. I call the office to get a janitor and then usher my class outside and around the corner so he can come in to clean without the class seeing.

Nobody was the wiser. The floor and chair were cleaned. Everything went on like normal but for the rest of the day in every period the only thing I could think was:

"ha ha ha that student has no idea what happened in the chair just a short time ago"