Where has the time gone?

My seniors surprised me this morning by starting the countdown to graduation on my board. They are out of school in 32 days! I couldn't believe it when I saw that number. This school year really has flown by. When I think of all that has happened this year, my mind literally cannot comprehend that the end is drawing near. I have so much yet to do!!! My seniors are reading Fahrenheit 451, a commentary by Ray Bradbury on the state of current affairs (how scarily close he was to predicting the future...), and I want to end their senior year by doing some awesome poetry (thanks to Hayley in advance!!) and reflective writing. For so many of my seniors, I know this will be the VERY last English class they ever take in their lives, so I want to end this year by doing some things they will appreciate (I hope!).

My juniors are currently reading The Great Gatsby and although some are hating it, others tend to be quite involved with Nick and Daisy and Gatsby and the whole gang. I still want to do one more writing piece with them, and then hopefully end the year with A Raisin in the Sun.

Freshmen? Oh boy, they are a whole other crop...they are doing some poetry stuff right now--in fact, some groups presented their poem/song choice today, and I heard some good ones. We had anything from Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain" to Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" to HotStylz's "Yo Mama Got a Mustache." That last one was HILARIOUS!!! To be honest, I have no idea what I'm going to do with them after this--just something to make it through the end of the year.

Speaking of end of the year, I'm on the list to teach summer school this year. I don't know if I'll get chosen or not, but the practical side of me really needs to teach for the money. Things are going to be very tight when I refinance, and I will need every extra dollar I can get to make it through. If I don't get chosen, money will still be tight, but I will enjoy my summer and my pool! :)

On a side note, I may be moving classrooms again. However, this time, it will be to a much bigger and better room! Let's see...this will make my 8th room in 10 years. Hmmph! Bring it on!!!

I'll close with some pictures of school projects my kids have done this year. See? I don't sit on my butt all day! (NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!!) The faces have been deleted to protect the innocent.

Before we began reading Of Mice and Men, the juniors created their own little "Hoovervilles". The rules were: There were no rules--they could steal whatever materials they could get their greedy little hands on in order to build a shelter big enough for their "family" group.

During our reading of "The Odyssey", the freshmen re-wrote the story as a script and acted it out with stick puppets. Aren't they cute?

My freshmen made a game out of a story called "The Most Dangerous Game", complete with a gameboard, moving pieces, rules, and most importantly, playability.