Togas, Shakespeare, and sheets (o my!)

 Yesterday was the Toga Party in British Lit. That is, students wrap themselves in various bedsheets, toga-style, and present rehearsed readings of selected speeches and scenes. It was the usual mix of really well done to shaky bits, but mostly, they did fine. And my new assistant principal was there for the whole shebang-- I invited her-- and it was great for her to see, not only because she's getting to know what I do, but because four of the kids in the class are former students of hers (she taught 2nd grade in a neighboring town that sends their kids to us for middle and high school). 

What fun, eh? One thing, though: kids do not have sheets. Most of them do not. O, they have a fitted sheet, but no flat sheets. I guess people just wash their blankets weekly? Weird. So I'm on the hunt for large (full size and up) flat sheets. I'll hit up the thrift store and see what's out there. I donated two of my old ones to the cause. 

Sheets or otherwise, we had fun, they enjoyed Julius Caesar (and Macbeth and Henry V), and I am satisfied that we've plugged a gaping hole in their knowledge. The teacher they had last year (who is no longer in our zip code) did nothing with them. As in, they didn't read, they didn't write, they did... nothing. So say the kids themselves. It's a sad situation, and I'm working doubly hard to remediate what they don't know. And it's going fine, but wow-- it's work. 


I hope your day is a good one. Hugs all around...

C



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