Tuesday

Despite my students being well behaved and nice, it never ceases to amaze me how much teaching summer school wears on me. I don’t know how Mandy and Pete do it all year long. Although students are more motivated during the school year.

I just had to get after a student – 45 minutes into class – who would rather do nothing than simply draw a map of her childhood neighborhood for the first part of her assignment. Finally after about the third prodding, she got around to doing it. On the other hand, I have another student who finished the map yesterday and already has her final draft in!

I have another who complains about not remembering anything about her childhood, so she can’t do it. Again, I’m puzzled as to why she is in summer school.

Do the work and turn it in. How hard is that? I don’t’ even care if they visit or check their text messages or surf the net while they work. Just get the work in?

Why would you come to summer school and NOT do the work? Why not skip and do something fun?

Can they really be that stupid?

What will some of these kids do in the real world? Will they forget to take orders in the drive thru? Live on welfare? I don’t know.

It makes me appreciate the ones who do their work.

After today, I have two days left. I can manage that.

*****

I thought the patio was finished. However, because I came across the propane line, we decided to shorten the patio by about a foot. That left us with one full palet of flagstone plus several left over pieces.

We decided to use up some of the assorted pieces, we put in a little spot for the grill. However, I cracked one of the pieces, so I had to steal one from the full palet of flagstone, which we were hoping to return.

Just as I was finishing that, I thought, “you know, it would be cool if I had a slab down for the wood.”

I mentioned this to Kristie, who thought it was an excellent idea, and instead of being done, we were working on the patio again – I was putting down yet another slap and Kristie was working on the brick edging around our flower bed bordering the patio.

Of course, as I finished that, Kristie mentioned how it would be nice to have a slab for the grill!

Not this time. Enough is enough. Before we know it, it’ll be November and we’re still tinkering with it.

However, after Kristie’s doctor visit today, we are headed back to Lowes, that place has to be loving us by now, for some more brick for the edging and a couple of other things.

I can’t wait to just sit and relax on it. And maybe throw a party.