The Soul of Wit

I am not one who goes in much for pageantry and ceremony-- we can analyze that in another entry-- so this time of year with its first communions, weddings, retirements, awards, and graduations can be trying for me.

Today was an exception, however. We attended the graduation of a good friend's son, and although I was dreading it a bit, it was painless. No, it was better than painless: it was actually sort of enjoyable.

Why? Well, he was one of only two graduating from his Sudbury school. There were just four chairs on the stage, and following a brief welcome, a personal speaker for each graduate, and remarks from both boys, we were witness to the quickest.diploma.procession.ever.

Short, individualized, and student-centered... just my kind of thing.

Diminishing Returns

I had my writing group last night and as always it was a fun evening. We have been meeting monthly for nearly six years now, and I love the camaraderie. The food's great too, and the writing is none too shabby. It's always a thrill to see what my friends bring.

As for myself, well, I struggle lately.  Eighteen months ago I started something, a little story which will probably end up as my third unfinished novel. I've written a bit for almost every meeting since then, and I have perhaps 5000 words. Last night was definitely the least I've ever composed, one paragraph of perhaps 125 words.

I liked it though; it was a fine paragraph indeed.

And... at this rate? I'll have some kind of something in about 10 years. Stay tuned.

In the meantime,  kudos to my friend, Mike, whose first novel was published yesterday!

And You Can Quote Me

One of the requirements of the personality profiles that my students are (still!) working on is that each piece must include several direct quotations: some from the subject, a couple from other kids, and at least one from an adult.

Here's my favorite so far:

"Woof, woof," yelled the German shepherd of Rose.

How Do They Know?

I got my temporary AARP card in the mail today. Of course it's no good unless and until I pay my sixteen bucks and join the swelling ranks of Americans over 50.

And I still have one month.

Don't forget that.

One month.

Rain, Rain

Come today!
I was too busy to water the garden--
plus the weatherman promised
boomers and soakers
this evening.
Clear skies?
Go away!
Heaven
drench
us.

Any Time Now

We were on our way home from the movies this afternoon when a brilliant thought entered my mind. We had been to The Avengers, something I was eager to see but had put off since it opened a few weeks ago, because it was such an iconic summer movie, and summer was just too far away for me to enjoy it. After the pink, pink, pink of yesterday, though, I felt like maybe I was ready to kick off the cinematic season.

The movie was good, but, as I suspected, would have been much more enjoyable without a lengthy to-do list--with hard deadlines-- in the back of my brain. Driving home we commiserated about the busy weeks ahead. The end of the school year has a lot of time-consuming details made much more challenging by the fact that most students are mentally checking out early.

"Oh!" it came to me in a vision. "I totally know what we should do! The end of the year should be like the end of a soccer match, where only the official knows the time... that way they could call it at any moment!"

C'mon, it's genius! Not only would many of our students totally get the concept, but THAT would really keep us on our toes.

Thinkin Pink

Pink sky,
pink wine,
pink cheeks--
Can summer be far away?