RANT or not to Rant? That is the passion...

I talk too much -- I do. I've often said to my kids -- or anyone who may be listening -- as a teacher I know students can tune out easily. They are trained early to have selective hearing and focus, and teens are naturally self-directed.

As Charlie, I never talked -- some thought this was my best form of self-expression. 

Or they were just sick of hearing me rant about something or other.

So.. I SAY to them, "I throw a lot out there and hopefully some of it sticks to the wall"  Most look at me with knowing expressions and nod -- what they are knowing, I never know...y"know?

Occasionally, I RANT.. Of course, I never called these pearls Rants at the beginning. I would just start expounding on a topic I CARED about and.. it would get slightly out of control.  Now, ever since one of my favourite ascerbic Canadians, Rick Mercer, coined the phrase "RANT" by serving up some of the best political and hilarioius rants ever on This Hour has 20 Minutes and then later on his own show, The Rick Mercer Report, have I realized what my passionate "lectures" were.

Rants.

So, I rant.

On most anything to anyone -- but to my students, I try to keep it pedagogically sound, but you must realize that I have talent for making wild lateral connections.

I loved that show, "Connections" -- wonder what happened to it? The fact that the computer evolved from the printing press is one of my favourites.

OOps, lateral me -- where was I?

Oh, Yes -- ranting.  I am passionate in my opinions. My students would say I'm nuts, but what do they know? And I'm not arrogant at all. Well, a bit. But, I have a lot to prove, since I know better than anyone on which I speak. Sort of. At the moment.

Was this a rant? Naah -- just a long-winded intro. Specific rants to come...

Eye Contact

My kind of Art :)

Where I saw this -- so cool I plan to go again this summer

Last week of June

Ah, summer.

Seven foot high cone-flowers -- almost as tall as this years crop of grade nine boys

We all yearn for it about a month before the end. Coinciding with summatives, it makes everyone miserable and at odds. time to break out those ACTING chops and get to work! Smile and you'll feel better. Smile AT someone and you'll feel better about them.

That works till they tell you to #@#@# for some reason residing in the teen brain -- that has nothing to do with you, their teacher. Ah, I think with all my knowledge and Yoda wisdom, "sweetie, did you not have breakfast?" and since I never think before I speak it comes out my mouth at the same moment. The kid blinks, says actually, no. I send them off to get a milk or O.J. and, without their knowledge, make their day.

I started to write about how weird an empty school is and how surreal it seems to go about the empty (yet filled with costumes, black books and assorted crap) drama room doing whatever, whenever.

And I ended up reminiscing about kids who swear at me at 8:40 am because they're hungry.

Yup. Yer gonna learn a LOT about teaching from this blog 

Espeshully speling.

Not your typical teacher's Blog

Penny, my sister's dog, didn't like me

What can I say... I became a teacher because I was the kid who dragged anyone willing to a small blackboard in the backyard of our trailer home and taught them SOMETHING. Anything... I taught mostly the alphabet to little ones I babysat. I just liked being in charge I guess. Yeah, I'm a know-it-all. Ask my students. I DO know that the older I get, the less I know. That's true, by the way, not just an old cliche.