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This is a continuation of my journal from my 2001-2002 school year.  Please read the previous posts to give this entry context.  

Tuesday – Friday, Feb. 5-8, 2002

My throat is as sore as a bull rider’s butt. 

Wednesday 

I tried something different in the writing critique groups today.  I had students highlight different aspects of their partners’ paper: yellow for thesis statement, green for evidence, pink for similes and metaphors and blue for dialog. 

I had students asking, “What’s a thesis statement?”

I’ve been over this a half dozen times, but suddenly they want to know.

This exercise was good both for the critic and the writer of the paper.  It got them thinking about what might be missing from the paper.

After the critique groups, we started practice on a choral reading of “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe.  Each student auditioned for whether he/she would be reading the part of a tinkling silver bell, a mellow, golden wedding bell, a brass alarum bell, or a mournful iron bell.  To audition, each student said, “Hello, Ms. Hansen, how are you today?” 

Amanda wouldn’t say it.  She said, “Hi, Elizabeth, how are you?”

I really cannot fathom what’s up with her.  I have three girls in fourth period who hate me, but at least I know why.

I skipped the faculty meeting and went home to nurse myself. 

Thursday 

Amanda stayed after class today to serve a cleaning detention so she wouldn’t receive Saturday school.  I told her, “I’ve given it some thought, and I can not, in all good conscience, think of a single thing that I’ve done to you to deserve your rude treatment.”

“I’m not rude.”

“When we were doing the auditions for the poem, and you pointedly ignored me and said hello to Elizabeth instead, that wasn’t rude?  When you erased what I’d written on the board, that wasn’t rude?”

No response.

“I want this behavior to stop.”

I let her go.

On my way to the mailboxes, I saw Becky in front of the assistant principal’s office.  

Friday

I arrived at school at seven to make up the faculty meeting.  We watched a video of Wednesday’s meeting.  Blessedly short.  Our only female administrator, a vice-principal, is being let go.  The reason given is a “conflict of interest” because her soon-to-be ex-husband is on the school board.

The whole thing makes no sense, and rumors are flowing. I’ve already heard that she and the principal are having an affair.

On the computer, I saw that Becky is suspended.  It will be interesting to find out if the cause were a minor infraction like not wearing her I.D. or whether she got in a fight. 

In class, we’re studying the devices Poe uses to create the musical sounds and different moods and tones of the bells.  Mindy read her alliterative sentence:  On Tuesday at twelve o’clock during tea time at Toronto Treasury tiny talented Mindy took time to tell Timothy Turtle and his tonka truck, tall tales about terrified teddy twisting tops in the town of Tijuana, while twirling on top of twisting tall tapered trees on tippy toes in Toronto, Tenesse and then told about tenanchous Tom the tocan tripping over tomatoes through tunnels and over temples all the way to Teotinhuacan driving his Toyota through terible traffic while tempting tigers with T-bones, turnip tacos and tortillas and then told Timothy about Tabatha on TV.

On rally schedule Fridays, it’s always hard to get the students to focus fully, but it was an okay day.  We progressed to onomatopoeia and I played “Onomatopoeia” by Todd Ruthgren. 

Amanda didn’t do anything overtly rude today.