The Month of May

Last week, I posted the last section of grades.

So far, all of the grades have been posted for:

14 days,
12 days, and
9 days.

No e-mails from indignant students. No complaining, no snarkiness, no confusion. Well, at least none directed at me. I no longer cringe and squint when I sign into my e-mail account. I breathe easier every day.

As most any educator will agree, grading is the worst part of teaching. And not even grading in the sense of writing comments for revision and guidance, but slapping a letter grade on a final draft. Sometimes, though, certain students make it very, very easy to slap grades around.

I've had several full days now of not being in the classroom. It's been a bit quiet. And when it's quiet, I think. So, much to your delight, I'm totally in my head and tangled up in feelings of worth (and worthlessness) in the classroom. I second guess, I wonder if I should take a career where I get to leave work and truly leave it until the next morning, I worry and fret and rationalize.

But that's kinda lame. Here's the short version: if you come into my classroom, and you are at least over the age of 22, and you've at least held some sort of service job, and you at least know you want more out of your life, and you at least want to think and analyze and debate and argue and laugh and speak, and you at least want to confront, defend, or become aware of your own ideas of all the -isms, (right, Lennon?) then I'm the teacher for you.

This will be the last post for awhile about teaching. I'm now in summer vacay mode. I'm going to do some writing, lots of walking, immeasurable amounts of swimming and laying out at the pool, ridiculous pages of reading, and perhaps I'll find time to squeeze in some class prep work. Perhaps.

In other news:
I had lunch with 2 fav ladies.
I scored big at an auction in town.
I planted all my annuals in my funky pots.
I just got back from my 5 mile walk.
I ate some chocolate from New Zealand.

A super fab day, indeed.

My 301st post.

The end of the fourth full year of teaching.

Bor- ring.

I've only one more section of final essay exams to grade, and then I am done with the teaching and the grading for a solid few months. I would write that I am done with the lesson planning, but I get to teach a new class in the fall, a survey class, an American Lit II survey class! I check my class roster for this survey almost compulsively and am pleased to see many of my oldie, but goodie, studs on it. It should make for a really fab group.

So, why haven't I graded that last stack yet? Well, to be honest, I kinda just don't have the ambition to do so. I took all day yesterday off from grading and then kinda forgot I wasn't really done, but also maybe don't care kinda. My other four sections have their grades entered, so maybe this is why I am so willy nilly and fancy-free. This is the first semester in history where my grading hasn't taken up every single day until the deadline. This is because of much better planning and scheduling on my part, as well as the lucky, much-needed break I got from 101 this entire year.

Overall, a tough teaching year, my toughest one yet. But, still, I left the classroom with accomplishment and satisfaction. The studs who wanted to learn, who were engaged, and who revised their little hearts out did very well. I taught them; they taught me.

Enough with the teaching talk, though. Even I am boring myself, which I thought was nearly impossible.

A cold snap this week. A few limbs of my bleeding hearts didn't make it, but the plants themselves are okay. We turned the heat back a few nights, as the thermostat read 58 degrees. Yowza.

B and I have settled, for the most part, back into domestic bliss. The house is clean and bright, the bed gets made every morning, the lawn and gardens are weeded and thriving, mostly, the dishes are done and put away, we are pleasant to be around once again.

B graduated on Saturday and it was lovely. The girl is racking up more degrees then I have fingers to count them on, but hopefully, her dedication and hard work will pay off big. Soon. A very exciting opportunity is on the horizon. Keep fingers crossed. Please and thank you.

One exciting thing: me and 3 Bffs from my younger college days have put together a team for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure. I need to do some mega fundraising and training and am starting right now:

My Donation Page

I am excited, nervous, and excited. And nervous. :)

Headed to the farm this coming weekend. Prolly should grade that last stack before I go. Prolly should do it right now.

I've Done Everything in the World Today Except Grade.

I got a good workout in this morning. (I'm into Queer as Folk again, so I am watching it from the beginning. I do an episode whilst on the elliptical and am almost through Season 1. I love it.)

I biked to campus, renewed one library book, returned another, then met the Fry family for lunch at Viejo.

I biked home, put the dishwasher on and made the kitchen (floors and all!) sparkle.

I biked to Hy-Vee (with my reusable tote in tow, because I am so, so, so white) and bought cornbread mix, pineapple, and asparagus.

I biked home, changed lightbulbs all over the house, wiped down the bathroom, ironed my white skirt for work tomorrow, painted my toenails, and thought about vacuuming.

I have dinner all planned out: barbecue chicken, pineapple, and asparagus on the grill; cornbread in the oven. Oh yes I did.

I cannot think of much else to tackle today, so maybe I should grade? I've got a stack of 5,000 word business reports to go through. GD it. But, honestly, it's not so bad. I have 16 more to grade before Monday. And that's my only grading for the week. Quit complainin'.

I had super mucho plans for yardwork this weekend, but it's supposed to rain? Seriously, I have got to mow.

Since I've been blogging just now, I haven't been able to grade. That's a win-win.

My last class of the week meets in one hour. My lesson plans and handouts are all prepped and ready to go for next week, my D2L and course blogs are updated, and I'm caught up on my grading.

My car is 409'd and vacuumed. My bags are packed.

I am leaving all work-related things tucked away snug in my office until Monday.

I am headed to NoDak this weekend, specifically Fargo, more specifically, West Fargo for my new niece's baptism. My grandma, Flo, and great-aunt, Bernie, are coming up with my parents, and we'll all have blast playing Yahtzee and Catchphrase and playing around in the pool.

I need a vacation. Somewhere a tish more exotic than North Dakota, if there even is such a place. B needs one, too. Arizona is lovely ...

One of my students brought up those old make-up/accessories carriers, Caboodles, today, and the whole class went nuts (believe you me, Caboodles were actually germane to our discussion. I'm such a wacky and hip teacher!).

I am beginning to like my Tuesday classes again. Though they have drained my soul most of the semester, we've had a couple good runs. Perhaps it's because our days are numbered. And that's fine.

Tonight, I get to stay with BFFs in SuFu, then I hit the road tomorrow.

Audi 5000!

Things are a'growin'

Peonies, daffodils, mint, chives, bleeding hearts, tulips, hens and chicks.

Things I actually planted last year? They are coming back! It's beautiful.

I wonder if this is how my dad felt when the first of the winter wheat sprouted. Or when the sunflowers came up. Or when the oats poked through the soil.

Things I Use Too Much Of:
Shampoo
Toothpaste
B's patience
The word "absolutely"
Gas
Whiskey

Things I am Tired Of:
The wind
Grading
The alarm
The misuse of the word "farmer"
Lazy students who refuse to think
Wearing socks

Things That I Have To Do:
Clean the garage
Vacuum the bedroom
Get "Single Ladies" out of my gd brain
Grade
Wrinkle Release all my clothes
Lay in the sun with a good book next to a pool before I lose my effin' mind

Good night.

It's a bright Wednesday evening, a Netflix awaits us, Bridge is making pizza dough, and I am crushing my grading.


Holla.

At.

Your.

Boy.

The last month of the semester always bring a whirlwind of grading; also, my mind is a whirlwind as I try to devise ways to not grade:

can I just have them write some ideas on some post-its? can those post-its just then be tossed to the wind?
can we just discuss the prompt? can they just nod or accidentally make eye contact with me so I can give them credit for doing the assignment?
can I ...

Oh, gotta go decorate the pizza! Turkey pepperoni and lotsa different kinds of olives. The meal is complete with Sam Adams Summer Ale and a mixed Spring salad. Totes yums.

This is Stupid.

I have this blog, and I am writer.

Ignoring it is stupid.

Easter weekend was lovely. My bro, Michael, and sister-in-law, Kelly, came for a visit, and I learned this:

Hot saki at Chae's is good and strong.
I rock at shuffleboard.
Michael and Kelly are my fave people.

In other news ... the semester is winding down. I feel like I can say that now without jumping the gun too much. A look at my calendar confirms this winding down. It is April. I don't have to teach in May. Yes, I love teaching, and yes most of my students make me happy and proud, and yes I have a big office and administrative help and support. Yes. This is indeed fantastic and I am grateful, lucky, blessed. I also work my ass off and will welcome the summer break with huge, open, ever-lovin' arms.

I had the weirdest dream last night, but it's only interesting to me, so I will not bore you. Perhaps it's too late for me to not be boring you. Ouch.

It's a rainy Spring day here, the first one in awhile, and my perennials will love it, especially my hostas. This downpour will green everything up and wash away the last, dusty, clingy remnants of winter.

I have my gf back. Not that she was ever physically away, but her comps are done (and she passed with high-flying colors, because she is just that awesome), her exams are done, and her student teaching is winding down as well. Her grad forms are turned in, and I finally have my gf back. It's been real nice and such.

Anywho, that is all. For now. Be back soon. I would proclaim intents on blogging every day, but you know me and my proclamations.

Audi 5000.