As the clouds roll by...or rather, in

Fall is definitely coming. This week has been cloudy and getting cooler. It's been kinda nice. I just want to stay inside and read. It has made my kids sleepy, but I can deal with that. The last few nights I've been a total nerd. Well, all but last night...that was intense...I wanted to cry I was so tired. But, let's not talk about that. I have been doing two incredibly awesome things lately.

1. I have been lighting candles, playing classical music, and reading from a different textbook on British politics. Please don't make fun of me because I find it incredibly interesting. I learn great new stories to tell the kids and I find it very relaxing. It has been the highlight of my last few nights. I look forward to it all day...sad...I know.
2. I have been cooking again. This is good. I was inspired after an amazing girls day I had with Camille and Meghan so I researched good food online, bought massive ammounts of gourmet ingredients, and have been cooking. Oh man...so good. Tonight's was amazing. Fresh garlic and parsley, red pepper flakes, oregano, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, parmesean and penne...so good. It smelled wonderful too.
   

So about class. Today was wonderful. My poor freshmen are bored out of their minds with the mandated curriculum (today was the 4th day in a row we had the exact same lesson plan, different material). Short story: Mac, this morning, "No WAY!! Some pictures on a PowerPoint and then we get to read a document and fill out a chart!!" (said with extreme sarcasm) I wanted to laugh and sympathize, but I don't think I'm supposed to. He's right though. Darn mandated curriculum. But today, I had extra time so I had them do something fun. They made a travel brochure to the Indus Valley. It wasn't incredibly "fun" but at least they weren't reading a document and filling out another chart. (Sidenote: that civilization is crazy cool. Most of them are kinda boring, but the Indus Valley...they had oven-baked, standardized bricks, an indoor sewage system, indoor bathrooms, and roads and houses with the exact same measurements in both Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, miles apart! Seriously...evidence of major governmental planning and innovation--like how to mix metals for stronger metal--back in 2600 BC!)

And then...I got to start the UK. I LOVE the UK. I had so much fun. I think the kids did too. I lectured for a good 50-60 minutes (interactive, but still lecture) but they were still coming along with me. I got too carried away and didn't get half as far as I wanted to...but there are just too many good stories!!! If I started telling you about it I would never stop...oh! Just one thing.


Above is the new Labour party campaign poster. I was so proud of myself today because, though I usually jazz up any PowerPoints I do, this one I just had to do something fun. When the slide on the Prime Minister begins, the theme song for Flash Gordon starts, and that Labour poster spirals in from a distance and right as Gordon Brown hits the screen and freezes..."Flash!! Ahhhhh! Savior of the Universe!" and then it spins away. I laughed so hard. It may not sound as funny...but when you're not expecting it, it's quite funny. I was so pleased with myself that I was seriously grinning and laughing to myself for 20 minutes...even when I was getting my mail in the main office...I just kept thinking about what the kids were gonna do and I would giggle.

Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm going to try to get back into the habit of reflecting instead of just relaying.

Reflection: Mandated curriculum is bad for us all. Gordon Brown is definitely NOT Flash Gordon.

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