Battered, deep-fried corn on the cob.

I went home from school with a fever Monday and the Monday before, too. Monday afternoon fever. Doesn't have the same ring as Saturday Night Fever, does it? I don't know what's up with that. Too many kids with too many germes, and not enough love to go 'round. Well, that bit about the love is a bit of a non-sequiter, eh? Bit of a song just jumped right in there on me.

Need to do a theme unit. Thought I'd do one on travel, of course. The kids, even the teacher, are all a bit awed by the fact that I have lived overseas. Today, the teacher was introducing The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allan Poe, and asked me if I would pronounce "amantillado" for them because, "Miss ----- has a good command of many languages." The same kind of thing happened as they were reading a play based on the Diary of Anne Frank, and they all expected me to be able to properly pronounce German.

This is, of course, because I speak Spanish and an impressive little Mandarin.


I just don't know what to say about that.

Anyway, I hope it will be fun, but I'd hoped not to do it yet. Just leaned today that I need to be ready to start this on Monday. The good thing, though, is that I can do it again next nine weeks because the reading class we've chosen to do it with is going to rotate, and we'll have new students. So, if I'm observed then, it will have been after a practice run.

The principal came to me today and asked me to sub for another English teacher for two hours. My teacher was, thankfully, thinking more clearly and she subbed for the other teacher while I took her classes--one of those was prep! But it really made a lot more sense.

One thing I don't really like is that my teacher, who is a very good teacher, of course, is a bit . . . OCD. She asked me today not to click my pen unless I was using it. Well, I guess that can be anoying, but she also won't use a pen after me--or after anyone else--if she realizes someone else has just used it.

She doesn't allow the students out of their seats at all. For some classes, this is understandable, but for some it doesn't make much sense. I had some seventh graders doing some board work today and they were just too thrilled get up and come to the board! But after class she told me how she just didn't like to do that with them because they get distracted by getting to move and she has to re-foccus them.

All that's okay, but she has to speak sharply to them to get them to respond to her. I don't really know why this is, just her style, maybe, or whatever, but I don't like it. I really don't like to have to do this kind of thing, but because it's the way she does it, they don't really respond to anything else. I'd like to try some other methods of classroom management--such as standing quietly until they realize they're being disruptive, or standing in their personal space, or other subtle things. However these things take time and at first there would be some serious disruption--including kids out of their seats. I'm sure she'd step in when she couldn't handle the rowdiness.

Otherwise, things are okay, I guess. She's big on worksheets and has books full of them that she uses. I'm not used to having such resources, so I've always made my own. Durring prep today, I was making one on subject compliments and the use of colons. Two lessons in one--both just review, but I liked the idea of one less worksheet. She came in and found it and printed it out to use with a resource class that hour--which was okay--accept that it wasn't finished! But I guess that wasn't my fault, though. It's good she wanted to use my work. I think she's starting to realize that I do actually know a little bit about this stuff, I just look dumb sometimes because I'm nervous and/or feverish.

My first observation is comming up late this month!

OH! And the one gas station in this town is also the only RESTURANT in this town. They sell battered, deep-fried corn on the cob. BATTERED, DEEP-FRIED CORN ON THE COB. wow.