Everyone's got a soft side, right?

My lessons are going great. Yesterday we read "A Respectable Woman" by Kate Chopin and used a silly little graphic organizer with a potato on it. We discussed the importance of character development and picking up on the subtleties that the author offers the reader. It was fun. Easy.
Today we finished up. Assigned literature circle roles and reviewed common mistakes on their summer reading essays (this is a new essay that I spent my weekend grading, not the one that I used for the contest). I designed a suggestion box so my kids could help me name my cat. This is the hardest thing EVER! I am leaning towards Ezra. However, I want a long, dignified name. Ezra is short. Ezra Pound influenced the likes of T.S. Eliot and Yeats. Any really great characters you can think of? I also like Basil and Eliot. The kids told me I should name him Gouvernail or Gaston because of the story we just read. I told them I would consider it. Maybe that could be part of his name. It has to be perfect.

This past weekend, with tears in my eyes, I turned the very last page of The Kite Runner. I really enjoyed the book I have begun The Picture of Dorian Gray and I am going to attempt to read this with my students. Whew! I feel like I am really pushing myself.

Having the week planned in advance has made everything easy. I go in every morning, make copies, order my coffee to be delivered to my room (!!!) and set up. My CT is still unorganized (because she can be and still be a really great teacher), but I have a nice little file drawer where I put all of my materials in particular folders, in a specific order. It works.

Yesterday I observed another teacher's room during one of my planning periods. The 9th grade “regulars” were presenting their life stories. It was a real experience for me. Many students have immigrated to the US from Mexico and their stories were touching. This 200lb. teddy-bear of a boy stood up in front of the class to tell us about the most thrilling points of his life: coming here. He apologized because his board looked “like a girl decorated it” and then, in his heavily accented English he said, “but, you know, everybody’s got a soft side, right?” It was real cute.

So many stories.