October 13, 2009
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The Daily News
1 I had forgotten how absolutely grueling it is when grades come due.
2 I gave tons of assignments this first six weeks and spent the past three weeks paying for it.
3 And as I would correct, I'd give another batch. I read the papers pretty carefully, so I bring it all on myself. I actually read what the students write, AND I respond with comments. But yeesh. I finished every single class two days ago, but I'm hustling to put all the last papers into the gradebook, and of course, I keep finding papers with no name, writing that is around an eightieth of an inch high, and small stacks of papers I was going to get to.
4 So here it is almost 2 a.m. and I'm on the red-eye for the third straight night. Fortunately, I have some super-bright classes and could probably do a simple riffle through the papers and figure out the ones that aren't good, and then grade them!
5 Anyway, they're filled with comments from me, and little tidbits on how to improve in their writing and reading.
6 We are headed for Poe this week, which is the official beginning of the Heidi unit, always a fun time.
7 Already had one strange thing happen. I showed a grand old Twilight Zone short called Living Doll on Friday. It's a classic, the one where Telly Savalez plays a mean stepfather whose stepdaughter has just gotten a new "friend", a little doll that moves and talks.
8 Her name is Talky Tina, but every time the little girl and her mother are out of the room, she keeps turning her head and then talking to him.
9 She begins each sentence with, "Hi, my name is Talky Tina, and I don't think I like you..."
10 I turned the air-conditioning to around 50 so the room would get cold. The kids loved it.
11 I went on to tell them that writers from that show have appeared in literature books for years, and but couldn't remember any of the authors' names.
12 Later on yesterday Jenny texted me, telling me that one of the stories we read a few years back, Button, Button is being made into a movie. Ironically, Richard Matheson, the author of that story, was a writer for Twilight Zone as well.
13 The second I got the message I remembered his name. He also wrote the screenplay to the very strange film What Dreams May Come, a story about the afterlife, starring Robin Williams. You may have seen it.
14 So I'm going to show a couple more episodes today so I can spend a little more time at my desk finishing up this mad paper chase that has prevented me from seeing anybody for the past three weeks.
15 And to Jenny, I got your message but I was driving, and in a real hurry to get home and finish all of this stuff up, but I'm way interested in hearing about that film.
16 I'll keep this DN short, since it's so darned late. I have calculaters, pencils, staples, and all sorts of grading things spread all over the room, so I have to get up really early to organize. It's crunch time at school, sorta like a mid-term, or a huge project.
17 So sweet dreams. Meanwhile, October is in full swing. Don't let that picture of Talky Tina bother you. She claims to love everybody, if you are nice to her...
18 Look into your own mind.
19 Peace.
~H~
click here, if you dare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSy8Ko1vSKQ
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