Drawn in 2013, posted in 2015. YES!

Now if only the alert system would call me before I get forty minutes into my commute...

Here's my final post until I start drawing again over spring break, which starts at the end of next week. I'll be house sitting with plenty of time on my hands as well as a new pad of what seems to be incredibly high quality drawing paper from an incredibly high quality friend.

I have actually shared this comic before, the morning of the first of what would become five total snow days this year. Want to mess up your syllabus? Have five snow days. Want a handy excuse for your students as to why the class won't be watching the 1935 film adaptation of The Call of the Wild? Five snow days. Want to spend cold mornings sitting at home wondering if your roommate was only pretending to be annoyed with you when he left for work (seems to start happening around the third day)? You get the picture.

Here's to good weather, and while I appreciate a nice break just as much as anybody, to no more snow days. This year.

My classroom is now part robot.

Sometime back in December I wrote a grant for an interactive white board, specifically a SMART Board, and I drew this strip the day I found out I was approved for the grant. The district's technology policy switched me to an Epson BrightLink, but nonetheless, somebody out there thought my classroom was worth a nice chunk of change and my projector is being installed this Monday! I'm beyond excited to learn how to use the thing (I went for the SMART Board because I was more familiar with it) and I'm even more excited to see how my students react.

This is also my favorite strip by far. It was the most fun to draw and I think it turned out the best.

"The plant's name is Hoodie. Don't let 4th hour try to change it."

We keep tropical(ish) plants all over the building to match the Tiger theme - Jungles, right? I'm no botanist. Tigerist? - Anyway. I have a few of them in my room, and the extent of my plant keeping knowledge ends with habitual watering and opening the blinds a lot. This comic is incredibly literal. Two students rolled their eyes at my struggling greenery one day, and within ten minutes had trimmed and tied and completely improved the appearance of the shamefully neglected shrubbery they started with. Moments like these - outside the curriculum, usually after the last bell when people are milling about and enjoying their school - are some of my favorites, and they help me remember to pay attention to students' less academic (but just as, if not more meaningful) talents and interests.

The plants are still doing well, and I've learned a thing or two about keeping them that way.

"What the heck are we listening to? This guy sings like a goat."

I've usually got music playing in my room. Most of the time it's playing when there are no kids around (early in the morning and late into the afternoon) but sometimes I throw some on during class if I feel like the atmosphere is right. Usually this isn't the case and I turn it off as soon as kids start requesting songs, which is one heck of a can of worms, but occasionally it really sets up a relaxed and productive mood. This is assuming, of course, that the right tunes are playing, and while I look for a good combination of quiet and jaunty, I definitely can't forget to pay attention to the status of the shuffle setting. "Where da hood at," you ask? Definitely not in my room. Sorry DMX.

"I see," said the blind man, as he took out his hammer and saw.

This strip is half literal. My mentor really did receive an email which used the term "rose colored glasses" in regard to first year teachers, and while I didn't literally go out and buy a pair, the idea of keeping them on became a pretty regular part of my consciousness through the winter. If there really is a foot waiting to fall, I want to be sure to have a positive head when it does. I don't really think there's any danger in having an optimistic outlook. It's not always easy - today I watched 60 eighth graders confidently crank out essays but the 61st who really didn't do much is the one who sticks in my mind- but starting with the bright side means I can stay focused on the desired bright results. I'll pick up the pieces as I move forward.

"Nine times? I don't remember him being sick nine times."

It doesn't take long to notice where the priorities are when it comes to catching up from a missed day of school - of course they only want to know if there was any homework. After all, mine wasn't the only class they missed, they've got plenty of catching up to do in other classes as well. So when I stop and think about it, the usefulness of a content and skills summary only exists if yesterday's lesson somehow carries over into today, in which case the kid will have another chance to see the concepts and put them into action.

Was there homework? Nope. Did I miss anything? Sure, but that doesn't mean you're going to fall behind. Pay close attention today, ask the right questions and you'll be back on track.

As long as the things I teach are meaningful and rigorous enough to revisit multiple times throughout the week, an absent student shouldn't have a lot to worry about.

Except maybe some homework.