Throwing Myself a Bone as a Result of Late Night Classes - Well, Using Puppy-Love (at least) To Teach Content Literacy

It's hard to motivate one's self for evening teaching, especially when one's been at the job since 7 a.m., but by afternoon, I showered, put on new shoes I bought in case we were ever in-person again, and packed my bags to head to campus. Karal has a shoelace fetish so I assumed she'd love the boots with their long blue laces (and she did). Caught her licking her chops as I was packing my things.

I also spent a night preparing content-area teachers to read Clap When You Land, a two-perspective story about daughters who never realized they had a sister in another nation (dad's secret). Told with the backdrop of 9/11, and the flight to the Dominican Republic that crashed a few weeks later (no terrorism detected), Elizabeth Acevedo establishes two worlds, two types of girls, two ambitions, and two possibilities when everyone learns that dad lived two lives (even if his flight went down). It's poetically brilliant because, well, it's Acevedo.

I also was able to tap Jennifer Dail's Stella, the blind dog she adopted as a foster mom, and used her video once again to teach coaching, mentoring, monitoring, and teaching. I explained to the kids, "Well, they may come to you hating your subject, blind to the content, and oblivious to what you need them to do. BUT you must guide them. Teach them. They won't see it the way you do, but the best teachers coach them along...help them to figure it out."

I am waking up this morning scared of my calendar. I know I have afternoon meetings and I'm hoping for some down time to think after I sip this coffee. Getting home at 10 p.m. does a number on my  brain, body, and soul, and I enter my home use wanting to flop on the bed, eat dinner, process the day, think about tomorrow, and play with the dog (she's hyper). Ah, but you can't do everything and I simply get dizzy trying to figure out how best to be before going to the pillow...

...but the brain doesn't shut off because it's been going full speed for hours...

It's all good. Thursday and Friday are loaded, but Saturday is Kaitlyn and Dominik's wedding, so I have no excuse but to take a break. I will need Sunday and Monday to catch up, though, after losing time to have fun. 

And, Chardonay? Who brought Chardonay into this house? I poured myself a glass. YUCK. Dumping that down the drain was easy. I thought it'd be a good nightcap after a long day. It's like sipping vinegar through a celery stick...two flavors I hate. At least I can say I tried.

Okay. Back to work. Go Go Go.