Welcome Back...

Apathy Jack writes:

The famous story was that the targets got hauled across the field and set in rows and sophomores stood holding bows and sharp arrows waiting for the gym teacher to signal the moment to shoot. And one time a dog wandered onto the field and before the gym teacher could call it away one of the kids just shot it. And then everyone was running to help the dog and the kid shot another kid and he just kept on shooting until he got tackled. He said he wasn’t a disturbed person. He said he was just a plain normal person that sometimes had to kill people with arrows.

- Cruddy, Lynda Barrie

Yeah, all in all, I’d say the first week of school has gone smoothly...

Of course, my habit of vagueness and generally using grunts and gestures to transmit instructions to students is under threat:

Me (as I languidly gesticulate at the board): “The essay can be written on either of these two. So moving on...”
Blind Student: “Which are these two?”
Me: “Oh. Right. Yeah, you’ll have to keep reminding me about that...”

Of course, three days with students and I’m already planning to go and buy the Franz Ferdinand CD, just because all of my music is depressing, and I feel the need to listen to something upbeat. I mean, have you ever seen live footage of these guys? Not for them the wankery of angst and pain – they look so goddamned happy to be rock stars.

Also, just in case you were wondering, if your way of saying hello to one of your students after the holidays is to put your hand on their head and say “Good Lord, you haven’t grown at all. That’s insane.” it turns out they whine at you.

I’ve learned something.