--gardens and syllabi abound...

How wonderful-- it's not raining, and it's not cold. 

The garden boxes seem to be doing okay, though it appears that some dang bug or other has already attacked the squashes. I swear-- I'm not in the biz of feeding pests. I'll spray them this afternoon with neem oil and hope for the best. I have the worst luck with squash. The tomatoes appear to be doing well, and I'm still waiting on the last order of plants-- more tomatoes, some basil, and sage. 

Peas are reaching up, carrots are feathering along well, and I spotted one green beans poking through-- maybe they didn't rot in the box. Hope not. It's getting on a bit in the season, and I want green beans! The lettuces are doing their thing, too-- they are in partial shade, so maybe they won't bolt. 

It's good to see things growing. It's a positive sign. And the trees that bloomed are moving toward setting little nubs that will become fruit-- all hopeful signs, I think. 

And my two AP syllabi that I submitted for review and approval by the College Board were approved! This has been a bit of a test of my will; I could have just selected pre-approved syllabi and went on with things. But I like my syllabi. They are already approved/vetted for the dual credit with two colleges. So why would I change them? There was some pushback from a naysayer, someone who clearly does not like it when I succeed. So that, of course, was the impetus for me to get ornery and dig in my heels. To adapt my syllabi to the CB format was tedious, to be honest. Very. What they want in a syllabus is not what most syllabi include; they want every single assignment scaffolded in the document. It's more of an extended lesson plan. So, that required nitpicking to the extreme. But the format is there, the assignments are there, and the readings I like to use are all there. Amen.

Now it's up to me to execute. I am going to the AP summer institute in July, with the goal of learning how to do this stuff in a reasonable and effective way. No, I'm not staying on the campus (it's only a half hour away)-- I am not that interested in socializing, just learning what I need to and moving along. It's not like the poetry conference that I used to attend, where I made life-long friends who became my closest "tribe" -- I don't usually hang out with people who like to explore data sets and so on. Nope. I teach, but I don't live "teacher"-- it's my job, not my life. I do not get excited about breaking down the SAT info, for example. I do love a good essay draft! Or a poem! 

Anyhow, gardens and documents are gaining their footing. I suppose it will be enough for now.

Have a good day,

C