March has always been a busy month for me, but this one has been ridiculous even by my standards.
Last time I blogged, we were getting ready for an accreditation audit at school. We passed with flying colors and apparently impressed the snot out of the evaluators. It was a lot of work, but I kind of enjoyed the excuse to design some new instructional materials, write some really whizbang lesson plans, and show off for the visitors. Two of my journalism students spent the better end of two days following the evaluators all over the building with a camera and a notebook; you can read their article here.
I got busted rifling our very dignified assistant principal’s trash during lunch on the 14th. It was Pi Day, and I needed a pop can to add to my collection of cylindrical objects the kids were going to measure as part of the lesson. Somebody told me Saundra had just finished a can of Dr. Pepper and suggested I go Dumpster-diving in her wastebasket to get it. Predictably, she walked in just as I retrieved it. Thank God she has a sense of humor and appreciates my gonzo teaching style….
After working an 11-hour day the Thursday before break, I came home and spent another 13.5 hours laying out the Trip Guide. When I finished, I took a nap, went out to dinner with Ron, and then drove nine hours to Illinois to visit my family. Major kudos to the state trooper who saw me changing a tire near Catoosa and stopped to help. (I have now decided I need to buy one of those hydraulic jacks like cops carry in their patrol cars, because that thing made quick work of a tedious job.) Ron wound up meeting me at the next exit and swapping cars, as there was no way I was going to attempt a thousand-mile road trip on a doughnut.
Flat tire notwithstanding, I had a pretty nice trip. I got back from Illinois (locked the front door, oh, boy!) on Wednesday and spent the remainder of my break finishing up the mural at Brews and Bytes, running errands, checking beehives, and writing lesson plans for next week. Looks as if I’m in for another crazy week, as I’ve got a ballgame, a concert, an NHS induction, and a visit from my in-laws planned between now and next Sunday.
Ah, well. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.
Emily
Red Fork Hippie 