Is that "light" at the end of the tunnel or just a semi?

According to the 120+ Eighth graders I have the pleasure of teaching to each day, we only have "like 16 days or something in school"! Fortunately for the teachers they are right, unfortunately for the teachers they are right...

For those that don't know me I am currently teaching in a "government school". What this means is that the federal, state, and local government mandates what is taught. What it doesn't mean is that the needed information is taught to your children. The federalies are using standardized testing to rank students, schools, and therefore states - but aren't using the "same" testing data to do so. The government in its all-knowing has unleashed bulk and busy work to teachers (collecting money, permission slips, shirt sizes, parties, test proctoring training, etc.) without giving the teachers the necessary material and time to plan or (here's the kicker...) teach!

(am I ranting???)

All is well with the family! Well that is not entirely true, little Ms. Morgan continues to have an ear infection. We are in the second dose of antibiotics and it doesn't seem to working. There is a great chance that the medications are working just fine and Jen and I are just impatient.

The fam-damily went on a walk this afternoon and Morgan was pulling on her ears. (Honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference between her pulling on her ears because they hurt, or because those floppy things are just so much fun to play with.) For the sake of being impatient, I'll agree with myself - she was having fun thumping her ear lobes as the wind blew in her face.

Did I tell you that she has cut her first tooth? Of course you really can't tell by looking at her gums. She has an automatic response to anything touching her chin - her gigantic tongue sticks out. (Picture a frog slapping the wall with its tongue, trying to catch an insect) The best way to see the tooth is to stick your finger in her mouth. Incidentally that is how I found the tooth! I was trying to gently administer her first round of antibiotics - dodging the raspberry of baby spit and pink medicine, so I put my finger in her mouth. As soon as my finger touched her gums, her tongue poked out (it almost hit me in the eye) and I felt a sharp little numbin' on her bottom jaw...

It was pretty cool!