Since we started on a Wednesday, today marks the end of the first week. It’s going to be a very interesting (read: long) year. Let’s see…
I got several hand-washers. Not a bad thing, but a bit unusual for the crowd I run with. I got “Space Invaders” constantly penetrating The Bubble. This crew seems to have a larger percentage of these than usual.
I got boxes and boxes and boxes arriving all the time with computers and monitors and speakers and cameras and tripods and lights and boxes and boxes and boxes. (I have filled five recycling dumpsters with cardboard and packaging, and I ain’t close to done.) I am moving furniture and building tables and ordering kids around as they plug in network cables and monitor adapters, and label cameras and charge batteries and make comics while we wait for all the cameras to arrive and get set up. Tomorrow is Back to School Night, and I still have to figure out what the video class is all about so I can explain it to the parents. With any luck they’ll spend most of the 10 minutes drooling over the equipment. (One of social studies teachers opined, “Those monitors are bigger than my tv!”)
My boy is sitting there within stick range. Just coincidence; the seating chart is alphabetical. Mom’s being good about the No Help from Dad on English Homework rule. No impropriety here. The boy tells his mom that I’m more “gruff” in class. Grrrrrr. He also has the video elective this quarter. Today during that class, one of the other kids was checking out finished Rule Cartoons, and noticed the last name on one.
“Is he your son?”
“Yes”
“That’s so cool.”
Yes. It is. I think.
His mom is scrutinizing every handout. (“This week’s crossword is lame.”) And she’s going to be in the audience twice tomorrow. First time in 20 years I might be nervous.
And as always, I got spellers. And also per usual, they come armed with spell-check.
The first short writing assignment was to explain a slang term they use; show its context, definition, etc. The surprising part is how many of them can’t think of one beyond cool. I mean really?! I get a lot of awesomes (not slang obviously) and such. Tight, ninja (as an adjective), s’up, and coolio (whoa, slow down there) are about as crazy as they get. Not a boss to be found. Until now. Verbatim:
“I usually use the word around my friends when we are school talking about stuff that I think is cool or when I hang out after school with them and see something that I like and think is cool, (editor: Finally a comma!) but when I use the word around my parents I have to explain to them what I mean. (editor: I should say so.) …I usually say it for a picture or a phone SWEAT I like it and other things… Like when they say there getting a new house, pet, toys, or if they see a good movie or if they get a new book they really like I tell them that’s SWEAT. SWEAT is a fun word and I like to use it!!!
Sweat!
