Evan & Sarah's Dating Adventures...

Here's a little slide show I created of some fun pictures since Evan and I started dating...

Hiking at the Top of the World (Or at Least at the Top of Oahu)

Pronunciation, Not Enunciation

Although I'd like to think that I enunciate my words clearly, this blog has nothing to do with aforementioned topic. Instead, rather I'd like to focus on PRO-nunciation.

As I was chatting with a friend of mine today, I used the word "preferable." I've long since felt an overwhelming satisfaction using a word such as this one to sound much more intelligent than I actually am. This is how it works...

When pronouncing the word preferable, rather than emphasizing the "fer", you emphasize the "pre," lending the word to an academically sound adjective rather than a mundane, over-used adjective. It's my secret to SOUNDING intelligent. Smoke and mirrors, baby.

I also realized recently that I like the word cyclical. It's a seemingly trite word that when pronounced in general conversation hushes all who are near due to its ability to make the speaker sound suddenly intellectual. Cyclical. Dig it.

Life as an English Teacher...

You mean you can have life and be an English teacher? Sometimes I feel like you can't.

I know that MOST teachers work exceptionally hard. However, if you break it down and look at the simple math of being an English teacher, you'll soon realize, as I have, that being an English teacher is all the more challenging because of the constant effort to help each of my 131 INDIVIDUAL students to read, write, and communicate better in English.

In addition to this task set before me, I also must read new and interesting literature so that I can share it with them as well as READ and GRADE the thousands of papers (LITERALLY) that cross my desk in any given week. I sometimes do 2 assignments a day with 131 students on top of the book write-ups and other major projects I've assigned... I know I'm not a Math teacher, but I still can calculate that to be A LOT OF TIME and A LOT OF PAPERS.

With the constant grading of the last few weeks, I've really looked at how much time each individual task throughout the school day takes. If I have 20 students absent on a given day and those same 20 students come to me on the following day to get their make-up work and I give roughly 3 minutes to each of those students, that right there is 1 ENTIRE HOUR out of my day. Getting Johnny to sit down in his seat and read quietly... 30 seconds. Answering Suzy's question about the homework for the day even though I've already said it 5 times that class period alone... another minute. Writing 5 passes to the library, health room, or computer lab... 5 minutes. Eating lunch quickly so I can get back to helping students... 30 seconds. All of these items add up.

I feel like Hugh Grant on "About a Boy," except that I feel like my life is actually generally filled with meaningful increments of time. When I do feel my students trying to take away that meaningful time with ridiculous antics and redundant questions, I get a little frustrated. Don't they understand that all of this is costing me HOURS per week of time spent being a babysitter? I try and remind them of said fact.

However, come to think of it... perhaps I should take the "glass is half full" side of this issue and see that all of this supposed time wasted is merely providing me with many opportunities for learning and, therefore, improvement. For now, I'll just complain about wasting time as I write and peruse blogs on the internet. :)

Obama Refuses to Place His Hand Over His Heart During National Anthem

A while back my cousin had sent me a forward about Barack Obama. I had dismissed it until today when I decided to see if it were actually true. During my search, I actually found video footage of Barack Obama standing with his hands clasped at his waist during the national anthem. I don't know about you, but this worried me a little bit. Do we want a man who can't do a simple act of placing his right hand over his heart during the national anthem running the country? I know it's a simple act, but it symbolizes a lot to the people of our country.



An Obama campaign spokesperson had this to say regarding the incident: "Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't [put his hand on his heart]. In no way was he making any sort of statement, and any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous."