180 days as a teacher

Well, that light at the end of the tunnel was there today, but for one of my classes, it was quite dim...

After it was suggested to me to stop the INSANITY of correcting everything on my own and to put the students to work once in a while (or at least after every quiz), I realized that this seemingly simple task of students being guided closely to go over answers and either put an "X" or a checkmark was nothing simple, and for some something beyond their capacities as 14 yr-olds...

As I read out loud ..v..e..r..y s..l..o..w..l..y.. the right answer to each question, a sleuth of questions were generated - most completely redundant or useless - as to what to do "if the student wrote this" and "what if the student wrote that". Even when I clearly stated that the ONLY acceptable answer was XXX, many had to ask about YYY and ZZZ. Enough to drive me crazy in about 5 minutes flat...

BUT since this will save me 120 minutes of correction per class (guesstimating 5 minutes per quiz, x 4 classes), it was well worth the 10 minutes it took...

The last class before lunch (and coincidently my last teaching period today) was marked by my bringing in some Whippet cookies for the students.

I'm not sure whether these cookies are typically Canadian, but these cookies sure seemed to whet everyone's appetite in our technology class when the students watched the segment of How It's Made which showed exactly how these cookies are manufactured.

As I left school in a hurry at 1PM, I headed to the spa for an oxygen bath, a full body exfoliation and a seaweed body wrap. This was the first time I ever stepped into a spa - I will detail that adventure in tomorrow's post.

For now, I'm ready to crash in front of the tv until my men (hubby and son) get back from their weekly badminton session...