I cut this out of a magazine years ago for a bulletin board in my classroom. I still like it lots.
Imagination
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28/365: The Rules
I’m thinking my classroom rules should apply to the “real world,” too. ๐
27/365: Shakespeare’s Sardonic Side
Every morning, just after the first-period tardy bell rings, my students and I are called via intercom to join together in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. (VA Code Ann. ยง22.1-202, B-C)
So we stand, many of us with hands over hearts, a few of us audibly pronouncing the long-ago memorized words.
Most days, I’m at the front of the classroom when the announcement begins, having just come in after doing my before-and-after-class doorway hall duty.
But sometimes, when I’ve come in and moved quickly enough to handle something near my desk or when the announcement is a bit delayed, I end up on the other side of the room, nearer my desk and the stage where my student computers are, nearer the flag … and nearer Shakespeare.
When my awesome C-106 classroom was handed down to me from a colleague who retired two years ago (Thanks, Betty!), so was Shakespeare. (And Mark Twain, who stands opposite the Bard, and a number of other English-y posters and stuff. What luck!)
It wasn’t until the last few months, however, that I really noticed the expression on Shakespeare’s face.
There I was, saying the Pledge like a good teacher, but I could feel his eyes, weighted down by knitted brow, boring holes in me: “What in Heaven’s name?”
Indeed.
I think it will make a great writing prompt when we start Romeo and Caesar after next week’s exams.
26/365: Sleet on Main
At least, I think it was sleet, anyway.
And since there’s been a lot of talk today on both Facebook and Twitter about all the different types of icy precipitation, I have cause to ponder it.
First, it was icy, so it couldn’t have been freezing rain, since that freezes only after it hits the ground.
Second, it seemed like a stream of icy/watery stuff. Streaming diagonally. I don’t know what conclusion this leads to.
And there’s no third.
I’m going with my initial estimation: sleet. Enough of it to get us out of school an hour early today and two hours late tomorrow, if there’s no additional ice or snow tonight.
And what do I know anyway?
I’ve never even heard of thundersnow until today.
(And guess what? That red squiggly line tells me that neither has Firefox.)
Village Music
Kevin playing in Washington Square Park, July 22, 2010.
This was taken right after we got the turquoise and sterling Mr. Blue (and my amber ring). It was a gorgeous day: not too hot, a bit of breeze blowing, lots of people lounging on the grass.
Only six more months until our next Village show!
24/365: White Oak Mountain
I think I could live with waking up to this view every morning.
23/365: Now, That’s Cold!
We saw this frozen fountain while we were driving around town this afternoon. I downplayed the car in the background in Photoshop with a Gaussian blur.
Don’t Start Nothin’, Won’t Be Nothin’ (Kevin and the Hulk)
We’d walked blocks and blocks and blocks and blocks and blocks.
We could’ve taken the subway, but *somebody* didn’t like the subway. And, really, it’s always much more interesting to stumble across places we never would’ve made our destination or even our stops along the way than to sit in the swelteringly smelly subway.
But when we finally arrived at the Chelsea Theater, the showing of The Dark Knight we’d planned on was sold out. Sigh.
So we bought tickets for the late-late show and walked down to Jake’s Saloon for drinks and hors d’oeuvres to pass the hours. We talked and I drew on all the napkins, if our collective memory serves.
A little while later, we went back to the theater to find our seats. Somewhere on the way up the three flights between the theater lobby and our seats, Kevin met up with the Hulk. As you can see, they were kindred spirits at the time. (A lot has changed since the summer of 2008, but that green tattoo on the inside of Kevin’s upper right arm won’t be washing off any time soon. ๐
After the epic movie (epic because it was reeaaalllly long, not epic because it was that awesome of a movie … because it wasn’t really, although at least one actor — who’s no longer with us — gave an amazing performance), we walked down to the other corner to catch the train.
It was well after midnight and the Chelsea streets were pretty much deserted. Imagine my surprise when the newspapers and bags piled up around the corner there moved! No matter how many times we visit New York, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks and park benches.
Thank God my Hulk was there to get me safely back to Midtown. ๐
21/365: Way Up!
From this picture, you would never guess that two years later, Attie’d be so terrified of being upside-down. In fact, it’s pretty much his only fear.
20/365: Atticus and Dada, Unplugged
