Snow melting! Books!

Friday, and the snow is melting apace. Now, I'm not so crazy as to think we are out of the clutches of winter just yet, but I was cheered to see high 50s. My front walk is more than "puddle wonderful"-- it's a slushy lake. So, boots can't quite do the job entirely, and wet socks are a reality. But it's melting!

I'm studiously refraining from any direct commentary about all things national and global. Suffice it to say, I'm glad we won't be seeing any more cos-play Barbie outfits for a while. But now, we have an honest-to-goodness cage match fighter. Makes you wonder why the college degrees were necessary sometimes. 

There's enough horror, destruction, and degradation to go around. It's hard to know where to look, what to get outraged about, and what to do about anything at all. Gas prices jumped 30 cents in three days around here, and heating oil is ratcheting up. Winter can't end fast enough for me; we just bought another ton of pellets and topped off the oil, and I'm keeping my car filled up. The hits keep coming, eh? 

I've started reading Parable of the Sower, and it's stark. And I'm wondering if Octavia Butler had a crystal ball. I'm thinking about pairing it with The Handmaid's Tale for APLit next year. That will be one difficult ride, but I think it's important. I wish the AP curriculum would just let us teach good novels, and not lock-step through so much stuff all at once. I'll figure out a better pacing, at least I hope so, for next year. And I am going to have to insist on supplemental reading; I've offered it as an option, and no one is reading. So, both AP Lang and Lit will have to read two books before their respective semesters begin. I'll curate a list of things to read from the frequently referenced ones (I have a list that some kind teacher in AP land made). Our kids just do not read enough early enough in their high school lives, and now we are playing catch-up. It'll take a couple of years to change the culture, I think, but at least now we have a working English department (well, two of us, and we're trying), and we can build in rich texts from grade 9 on up. It's a work in progress, but I have some hope. 

And I'm really looking forward to my radio chat on Saturday. I sure hope you can tune in or listen online. It'd be nice to think that there are friendly folks listening!

Take good care, hold your loved ones close, and keep the faith.

C