Teaching Again

iPod morning commute music: Elvis Costello, King of America, 1986

There really was no reason why I chose this classic this morning. I was actually feeling more like listening to Dylan, but this jumped out at me as I was scrolling down the playlists. Cool stuff, and a real harbringer for the kind of vocals Elvis would end up giving us today, the Burt Bacherach side of him.

Today we had first lessons for our senior students. We weren't able to use the new LL's yet, so my co-worker in charge of the year group, Bob, suggested a writing task. We brainstormed and he made a cool worksheet based on the results. What I like about the task is that it utilizes, on one sheet of paper, the basic writing process: Pre-writing, Writing, Evaluation, Re-writing. Obviously, we're talking about paragraph writing, not an extended essay! Spread out over two classes, it looks like it should work. Today we did the pre-writing task (a mind map) and the 1st draft of a paragraph based on 1 of 3 topics.

Also at work today: Someone drank my opened Diet Pepsi! I drank about a third of the bottle between lessons and put it back in the fridge. When I came down after my second lesson finished, I couldn't find my drink. I thought I was going mad, forgetting where I put it, so I searched around for it. "Hmm, did I forget to put it back?" Finally found it in the trash can next to the sink in the break room. Whoever drank it didn't even bother to recycle it in the Pet Bottle Bin! Unbelievable that anyone would stoop so low.

After work, I met with Jo, my co-author for the TOEIC books, to discuss the second book. We need to finish it by the end of the year. I'm sure we'll manage, but it will make for a tough autumn. We have no choice, as the book we've finished (on the listening component of the test) is pretty worthless without its companion volume (on the reading component). To sell the first, we need the second.

Once we get this initial set published, we can then concentrate on getting the second level written in 2007, then the third level in 2008. It is a pace that can be reached.

Tomorrow I only have one class, 6th period, meaning I can sleep in. Always good news.