Where We Started

Thirty-nine years ago, on the second day of boarding school, I found myself waiting to board a charter bus bound for a picturesque alpine valley. The girl next to me in line turned to me and gave me a wacky look between a grin and a grimace. "Do I have food in my braces?" she asked.

I'm sure I frowned, but I also examined the silver brackets and wires dotting her teeth and saw no trace of her breakfast. "No," I answered.

"Thanks!" she replied. "I'm Karen," she continued, and we have been the closest of friends ever since, despite the fact that, as she likes to say, we have never lived in the same city. (Except those three years in boarding school, of course. That's what I like to say.)

Which is why this morning as we sat at an outdoor cafe not far from my home enjoying glorious weather and a weekend visit after two years apart, I was not surprised in the least when she turned to me and asked, "Do I have toothpaste all over my face?"

"No," I told her, "and there's no food in your braces either."

Questions, Questions

Oh those extroverts and their extrovert ways! My dearest friend from highschool is in town and it has been lots of fun spending time with her. She and Heidi are both extroverts, though, and I am... not.

Perhaps it was the power of the majority, but it sure seemed like we interacted with a lot of strangers as we wandered around the National Mall this afternoon. The two of them were just full of questions: Are you in line? Have you been waiting long? Is the visitor center open? Can we get a lemonade even though the register is closed?

Guys! Can't we just figure that stuff out on our own?

Conservation Begins at Home

I have an inexpensive Crock Pot and no complaints. Easy to use and easy to clean, it is a contraption that does the job I want it to and then returns neatly to the cupboard above the stove. That is, I had no complaints until a couple months ago when the handle on the lid broke off. Heavy plastic and secured with a single screw, once its shaft cracked, there was no repairing it.

I looked online for a replacement, but all there were to be had were on eBay at a cost of ten bucks or more. Sadly? The cost of replacing the entire appliance is $19.99 (minus my 5% red card discount) at Target. If not for the image of the old Crock Pot in Wall-E's house several centuries in the future, I might buy myself a new one, but for now?

If I burn my fingers a little bit each time I need to stir the soup, well, I'll take that one for the planet.

Carry On

In the past couple of months I've flown a bit more than usual, and yep: I can confirm that planes are cramped and crowded. Generally, it's worth it to me to pay the checked bag fee so that I don't have to deal with fighting for overhead space, but I've been a witness to plenty a struggle. That's probably why my ears perked up when I saw on the news tonight that airlines and airplane manufacturers have heard and heeded the complaints and now many are expanding the overhead storage.

Fantastic! you say? Perhaps, but consider the physics. They aren't making taller planes or sacrificing seats. Oh no, the bins will be lowered by two inches. So, when you're hunched over trying to cram yourself into your personal corner of the sky, just remember what the Boeing publicist brightly reported as he was filmed sitting in an empty plane. Not only is there more overhead space, but "It also provides passengers much easier reach to the lights." 

Distractions

Yesterday afternoon I was in a workshop for ways to use our iPads to manage student reading. The presenter had recently been to an Apple training, and ours was sort of a diluted, trickle-down version of some of the nifty tricks she had learned, but to be honest, after a year in the classroom with 1:1 iPads, not much she had to show us was new to me.

So, while the other teachers were figuring out how to turn their Airdrop on, my friend and I were airdropping a silly selfie to one of our colleagues across the room. (It was enormously gratifying when she busted out laughing for no apparent reason in the middle of the demonstration.)

How did we learn to do that?

The same way we knew most of the stuff in the workshop: from the kids!

All Aboard

We've barely started our study of word parts and already it seems that students are applying the concept, if not quite the content. When asked to nominate a peer to be recognized for his or her principles, one student wrote, I choose F. because he is good at sports and has a lot of manship.

Okay, maybe the principle of principled needs to be reviewed, but how about that 'manship'?!

If it were a word, it would be fantastic!

Game Theory

In addition to Marco, we also have a Simon in the same class. Again, anywhere but middle school this wouldn't be an issue, but today, when Simon was a little distracted, I gently prompted him, "Simon?"

And when he didn't reply, I asked again, "Simon? Do you agree?"

Almost all of the class waited expectantly to hear Simon's answer until one jokester couldn't take any longer.

"Simon says, 'Yes!'," he cried.

And just like that, it was game time again.