Ice Storm Survival: How Are Your Pioneer Skills?

Boy, how long has it been since I've blogged? It seems like a lot longer than the stamp date on my last blog post tells me. Like so many of you, I've been without power, but I can't complain... because the power at my house is back on! I just don't have cable, and for me that means I also don't have internet. I've missed reading your posts and comments. In the midst of the ice storm crisis, I've been helping my daughter move, so I've been consumed with just keeping everyone warm, fed, and all that survival stuff. (How did the pioneers do it?) I have been thinking about all of you and hoping that you are all safe and warm, too.

Today is a teacher work day, and it strikes me that our time in this classroom together is coming to a close. It flew for me and I'm going to miss all of you.
I don't want you to worry about the "wrap up" in my class. Tuesday we are taking the benchmark essay test that I told you about, and it is not something to study for at this point. It is a chance to demonstrate your awesome writing skills. It may not take you the whole class period, but I'll let you use it. Wednesday, just like we had planned the week before, a substitute will be here while I am grading the essays from other classes. Our substitute, I believe, is Mr. Gratton, and he is a professional blogger. He has a blog about ethics and character in business, and he also has personal "fun" blogs as well. I hope he'll have a chance to share those with you and answer questions about them.

Thursday and Friday are still set aside for final exams. It has been so long since we've read Romeo and Juliet together, that I have decided to use your study guides as points for the final exam, and I'll have you write during your final exams about what you've learned in class, the books and literature you've read, the blogging you've done, and so forth. In other words, make sure you finish your study guides if you haven't done so, and we'll go from there!

I hope you are all warm. I know that some of you, like me, won't see this blog post at home because you don't have internet. I hope you have power. We'll have to write about this! Miss you all.