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Patricia Baser

Yellow Haze and Tiny Bubbles

March 26, 2007 at 8:12 PM

If Jimi Hendrix had come from Macon, he would have written "Yellow Haze". The pollen has turned my trusty Subaru from dark green to more of a mustard yellow. You can see it in the air. Everything is blooming furiously (the cherry trees got to blooming at the end of the festival). Normally this would all mean "spring break" is here, but alas, our district decided it would be wise to wait until after testing is done. So even though our students get out on May 23rd, our spring break does not start until April 16. My schedule goes haywire for 2 weeks and then we have break. And then 2 weeks after we get back, my students (who you know will all practice so diligently during this time) have to play a concert. I get to monitor the filling of bubbles during testing (I must have skipped that class at CIM) and generally be the test police.

My middle school students (as all middle school students are) continue to be a curious bunch. Last week, on Bach's birthday, I played a middle portion of the g minor fugue for them. When I hit the episode they spontaneously added a rap beat. However, can anyone explain why an inner city 7th grader would be singing "Jeepers Creepers"? Today, my 7th graders thought they might just die because I asked them to stand and play for like 5 minutes. And what on earth could I be thinking when I had them warm up on a very short chorale in the same key as the piece we would practicing? The best part of the day was that the entire trifecta of talkers had managed to get themselves placed in In School Suspension before they got to me, so we got a lot done. Now onto my own practice!

From Anne Horvath
Posted on March 26, 2007 at 10:35 PM
Patricia, are those the tiny bubbles featured in "No Child Left Untested"?

Cheer up, because the important question is, and always will be, "Is our children learning?".

We have the pine dust here too, and I have about given up on keeping the deck clean. But the wisteria smells fabulous...

From Donna Clegg
Posted on March 27, 2007 at 12:30 PM
The yellow pollen is killing me too. Even my dog's coat is yellow rather than white just from our walks. Pray for rain - it is the only thing that helps. The yellow fog hasn't been this bad in several years.
From Pauline Lerner
Posted on March 28, 2007 at 5:39 AM
The Yellow Haze hasn't arrived here yet (I live north of you), but there's enough pollen out to trigger my asthma. Gasp. Wheeze. The joys of spring.

Don't let your students drive you nuts. Remember, you're getting paid for teaching them.

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