Random Shit...I Think...

I felt the need to get onto this crazy thing and post even though I, literally, have no time for it. I woke up at 10 today, graded 3 papers, wrote two essays, and then graded 7 more papers, which brought me up to a whopping 8:30 PM (I think I ate something once or twice, and oh yea, I might have gone to the bathroom). So, I decided to go play in my soccer game at 9. I needed a break. Now, I'm back at home, chuggin away on some Beowulf analysis papers, which makes for a peachy Saturday evening (actually, I take that back, Sunday morning now). I would have gotten home sooner, but I play with some older siblings of my basketball girls and their parents were there, and they know how to talk an ear off...that is for sure. But, I can't really complain, they love me. I went from being absolutely despised by parents to being the greatest thing that ever happened to them. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

My first week of classes were awesome. My freshmen are finally starting to liven up...thank God. They're surprisingly obedient though (but yes, I'm waiting for the breakdown). I have basically come to the conclusion that I will never assign homework because I don't have time to grade it, and I also trick them into writing. We do "Free Writes" for the first 15 minutes of class everyday. I give a topic, but they don't have to write about it. So, they have countless stories, which I will never look at, but then they are going to pick one to take through the drafting phase. Oh, my excitement. I must say though, that I'm just not sure what they learned in middle school. We are going to read "The Utterly Perfect Murder" on Monday, and they hardly knew what I meant by using the term "conflict" (and they were clueless when I said the words external and internal)...seriously? I tell them to "Show, not tell" in their writing, and it's like I'm speaking another language. I don't think I'm amazing, but we've been writing for a week and their already 10 times better than where they started (every day 2 people must share what they wrote to the class). I know, it was summer...they forget, well...everything...but, you bet your ass my kids walked into high school with "Show, don't tell" tattooed on their brains. I must get over this, I know.

I feel like my advanced sophomores are done an injustice. We read all these books, and all the writing in the class is so utterly tedious and academic. So, I make them do the same damn free writes...and they love it. I want them to still appreciate what writing can do. Is this wrong? I feel like my co-teacher is so strict, but yet my principal hired me because I voiced how passionate I was about making good writers (and making them respect what writing can do). Whatever.

Well, it's back to the books...and the papers. PS, I'm totally into my "Bible" classes right now, actually. I feel like God is preparing me for something, but I just don't know what yet. It's like too many things have gone "wrong" for it not to mean something. I mean, seriously, my plate is beyond full right now...but I'm surviving...just as we always do.