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Old Man Winter

I've never been so happy to have a 3 day weekend in all my life. Yesterday, we finally got the worst that winter offers around here in the form of freezing rain. I promply fell down the stairs and tried to severly injury myself the minute I went outside. Thank heavens for all those bagels and doughnuts (fat padding) and my innate ability to fall spectacularly and safely. I only have 2 small bruises; it's still nice have a few days to recover.

During my college years, I used to fall on a regular basis. So much so that my nickname was "puddles" because I would invariably trip in any type of depression that would make a puddle during a rainstorm - sans alcohol. I also have to assume that they were spectacular falls because, while lying on the ground mentally ascertaining my injuries, dozens of people would run up to me to check for broken bones. Seriously, how many people do you know who do sommersaults down two flights of stairs with no injury? Many were convinced I was destined for a career as a stunt-woman. I think teaching is really not that far off.

There's really only one week left in the semester, so one week left for poetry. I have to figure out what to look at this week. Something fun or something provacative? I also have to come up with a "final" test - something I probably should have planned out all along... but really I had planned to make the essay the students wrote at the beginning of the month into a final type activity. I also need those who are finished with the class at the end of the semester to create a portfolio... yadda, yadda... oy!

I'm not looking forward to final grading. The number of freshman who will fail is staggering. I've checked around and it's pretty much the same for everyone... they just don't do the work. Sadly, this is the group that has all the new graduation requirements put upon them and they just don't get it. There really hasn't been any consequences for failure until now, so I think a lot of them have a hard time believing that there are any now. After 4 months of telling that they will have to repeat the course if they don't pass, I still have students asking if they really have to take the class over again.

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