digital natives

Digital natives,....bang head on wall....digital natives....bang

"Ms W?  can I go to the other office...you know the other one,"  gestures in direction of admin office.  "So I can get my password."

"Mrs Book?"  I respond.  Our awesome media specialist/librarian who is the keeper of all the computer passwords.

"no, I need my locker password."

"what?  your combination?"

we cooked Coke

The AP Students distilled Cherry Coke.  For once I was able to tell the principal that there was a good smell coming from class, as the ester of the Cherry flavor drifted through the

The students and I did this the first time.  It has been a long time since I distilled anything.  There are many good lab instructions on how to do this.  We just appealed to internet age and said "make your set up look like this." 

This is after we finished and the thick syrup is in the distillation flask.  The extra beaker were catching the water from the condensor as it had a small leak.

actors should stay out of politics

Gwyneth Paltrow is raising awareness about food stamps.

One thing is the picture.  Go ahead. 

Now look at the blurb.  "families"



http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/gwyneth-paltrow-live-29-food-stamp-budget-week-article-1.2181590

She is mistaken.  That amount of money is for one person.  Say there is a family of five; as we were on food stamps, that is  150 dollars per week.  Funny, before my kids moved away, we spent about 250 dollars a month in the general buy.  Milk, eggs and bread were bought later as needed. 

the future

At our school many of the ninth graders failed English, Math and CBA (computer business applications).  We came up with several options for the parents.  The best line was our principal with the parents who told them "you need to stop making excuses for your lazy children."  One option was to drop an elective this semester and "double block" that is, in the spring the student takes 2nd semester course and the first semester in two different periods.  Teachers were shifted and help was called for.
Our literacy coordinator was tasked with teaching first semester.  The other day she interviewed for the principal's job at the middle school.  She had made arrangements for a secretary to cover the class, but the secretary forgot, and nobody else knew the plans.  Another english teacher was asking the librarian if the students could wait in the library, she did not want them in the classroom by themselves.  I was there, heard the conversation and "This is my conference, I can cover them."
We walk in and chivy the students in.  English teacher starts "Mrs. W will be watching you.  What were you doing yesterday?"
Students, "nothing."  (remember they are repeating the class, consider the types of students they are )

Me, "no problem, get out a blank piece of paper."  Realization, she's going to make us work.

"We were reading a novel."  And they did and settled down to it.

When I talked to the coordinator later, "yea, no problem, I just scared the hell out of them."

Her comment, "good, they need it."