Friday, December 31, 1999

school notes

1. My ID card still doesn't work despite my having turned it in to the office to be looked at. The staffers were supposed to have worked on it, but they once again didn't test the card out before giving it back to me, and the card is still a dud: I can't use it to turn on/off the staff room's alarm and/or to lock the door. So: Round 2 tomorrow, plus an insistence that they test the fucking card before giving it back to me.

2. Coincidence or not? Two of my advanced reading/writing students both spent a few years living in Fairfax County, Virginia. They know all the places I know: Mount Vernon, Annandale's Koreatown, McLean (where the rich Koreans live), Tysons Corner, Alexandria. Amazing. And delightful. And both of these students speak English quite well.

3. Speaking of that advanced reading/writing class: it went well today, as did the earlier intermediate reading/writing class. These Tuesday/Friday kids all seemed a little more focused and balanced than did yesterday's two groups of Monday/Thursday students. My confidence in having the students teach has been restored, and I ended the day feeling energized. My advanced reading/writing kids—girls, mostly—can be a bit of a rowdy group, but it's obvious they mean well, so I think I can tolerate their cheerful randomness. Discovering that two of these students spent time in Virginia was a definite plus.


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