Would someone tell me what is SO terribly complicated about writing a letter?? We have spent 2 valuable days of math class writing thank you letters to the governor for our laptops. A worthwhile assignment, yes... but I did not know it was going to be so terribly difficult for my students to handle it.

I set it up so they used a total block style format - DON'T INDENT ANYTHING... I must have said that at least... 1000 times the past 2 days.... not exaggerating in the least... but yet, as the letters came out of the printer, INDENTED lines!!!

Little things like capitalizing MI both letters in the state abbreviation.... Little things like capitalizing their own names...Little things like addressing an envelope. I put a sample on the board, leaving nothing to chance, or so I was naiive enough to think. But where I wrote "your name" for the first line of the return address, one young man actually wrote "your name"... and no, he was not being smart assed... at least I don't even want to think so...

and then another of my charmers, got suspended today for having "a huge ole back of dope" in his pocket.... the same young man who flipped me off in class Friday for scolding him for laughing when a girl was crying because she thought her PowerPoint was erased.

somedays.... somedays... somedays... I am glad this is here so not only can I vent but also so I can look back and read the good days... somedays... somedays... somedays...

If we survive integers, I will be amazed. The most frustrating part is the kids who don't get it. I don't know what else to try, honestly. So many of my lower kids, the ones who usually struggle, are picking up on this so easily now. It is the higher end kids who are lost - who keep saying they don't get it. Part of me just wants to scream - it really is not that complicated!! But the 7th grade teacher in me knows it is so abstract for them at this age, that yes, it is that complicated.

Tomorrow we will take time to write letter to Governor Granholm to ask for her continued support of the FTL program. I hope I get some really good letters that may impact her decisions on allocating budget funds.

The spelling bee was tonight... alas, my little Frank who begged me to be there, went out on his first word. ACHIEVEMENT.... but of course it was not his fault - the judges were blocking his view of his dad, he could not see me, either(although I had a clear view of him...) blah, blah... that poor kid wanted it so badly... and winning would have really boosted his self-esteem but sometimes in life we take the hard licks... he just seems to get more than his fair share.