• "There is no way of writing well and also of writing easily."
  -- Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
  

  "When I am king, they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books; for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved . . . "
  -- Mark Twain, The Prince and the Pauper
  

  "You must fear the monkey!"
  -- Bucky Katt, Get Fuzzy
  

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I’m not sure if this should be filed under Teaching or Writing, but needless to say, it wasn’t a good day.

When I’m sick, I get cranky

I want to reach for a hanky,

Or maybe a whip

Instead of a quip

To deal with unruly students.

My tolerance it’s waning.

I know I’m complaining.

But please tell me why –

Or I’ll start to cry –

Why I’m still dealing with unruly students?

Tell me quick ‘fore I snap.

Why I can’t whap

The side of the heads

(God, I want to go back to bed)

Of my bothersome unruly students?

Leaves wafting

from blushing branches

Skitterings in the leaf piles

Delighted peals

Frustrated groans

Rakes once again at the ready

Honks headed south

Burrowing deep

Crunchy white at dawn

Smoky scent

Bus stop drones

Bemoaning

Silent nights

Flakes forthcoming

• Links

  • Central Connecticut State University
  • Dictionary.com
  • Dubbah Design
  • Get Fuzzy
  • National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
  • National Writing Project
  • New Britain Herald
  • New Britain High School
  • New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
  • Pearls Before Swine
  • Spark Notes
  • The Hartford Courant
  • Web English Teacher

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• Christmas in SoCal