a brief rant

i get along with just about everyone. i really do. very few people annoy me to any large degree, and the number of people i hate is just about non-existent. however, occasionally some other teachers drive me absolutely nuts.


*this post has been edited. heavily. there is no reason to be nasty just 'cause it's on the internet.*

First Things First

i'm not dead. i'm not even slightly injured. i'm just sleep-deprived and busy. hurray!

because i currently have no desire to talk about the earthquake, or the reactors, just know that i am waaaaaay south and west of them in a town up a mountain out of reach of all possible tsunamis.

instead of depressing current events, which i'm sure you all see lots of, here's some riddles for you posed by my 1st yr middle school students (they're all about 13 years old).

1) I am an alien. I can fly. I eat a lot. I am a character. I am prince of Saiyan. What am I?

2) I am doy. I am 1-A cloess mote. I can play tennis very much. I have big face. Whot am I?

3) I am a girl. But I can't fly.

4) I am a person. I am funny. I am crazy. I am dangerous. I can tennis. I like woman. What am I?

5) I am a character. I am yellow. I don't have pants. I like honey. What am I?

6) I am a character. I am person. I teaorow (throw) knife. I can operation. I had pet. I am woman. I am doctor.

7) I am monster. I can swim very good. I am from Japan. I like kyuri (cucumber). I live nere the riba. (if you know what she's talking about, you get bonus points. i was super excited when she wrote this one.)

and now, some that are SO PUZZLING that they make your head hurt:

8) I am character. I can stand up little. I am populer little. I am person, woman. What am I?


9) I am blue I am big What am I?

if you can figure out those last two, i am remarkably impressed.

graduation day

the temptation to sit around and listen to the world's most overplayed green day song is strong. but i will resist! i have better taste in music than that.
my 3nensei all graduated from middle school today. they've got about a month and then they're off to highschool. some of them still have to retake their entrance exams... the exams are notoriously difficult, and it's usual for only 50% of students to make it the first time. my 'cool' boys were imitating water faucets for about half the ceremony, but quickly recovered their composure once the speeches were done. a few of my boys enjoyed walking down to massive applause so much that they walked back up and did it again. and again.
i'm gonna really miss these kids- they're awesome and i'll be sad that they're not around. it's a third less people yelling HEY ANDORIA! when i get to work and a third less people smiling when they see me in the hall.

they'll do really well in highschool, i'm sure. they're all good kids, and pretty clever (mostly). but damn, i'm sad to see them go. it's gonna be way too quiet at school from now on.

Short Post, Again

it's rapidly approaching one year since i moved here. amazing, actually, cause it feels simultaneously like two weeks and half a lifetime.
my 3nensei are graduating from middle school tomorrow. i'm really gonna miss them a ton. they're all great kids, even the ones who are still half-terrified of me, and if anyone gives them a hard time at highschool i'll raise hell. i know they'll all do well next year. i'm extremely proud of them.

i'm also slightly horrified by my very proud student who told me that she's happy that i'm her teacher, because now english is her best subject. she got 10 points (out of a hundred) in all her other subjects, but she got SEVENTEEN in english.

ow ow ow ow ow ow sweetheart i know you can do better than that