Grades for the first grading period were due today...and for the first time in my career, I just eyeballed the grades and submitted what seemed reasonable for each student (rather than calculate them all). When that was done, I went back over all of the grades to make sure that no one's grade was strongly impacted...then went over them again, taking selected students in each class to calculate. Guess what? I was right on the money in every single case! I guess when you've been doing this as long as I have, instinct takes over. My grades were in on time without huge stress on my time. No one got F's that didn't deserve them, and I could prepare for conferences with their parents, to start at 4:00 PM.
In the four hours of conferences tonight, I probably had 10 students represented. All went well. Many of the parents who came tonight have had kids in my classes before and/or I have traded emails with, pertaining to the kids' progress. This part was easy. Tomorrow, the students go home at 11:00 AM and conferences go from noon to 8:00 PM...many of them by personal invitation from the 8th grade team of teachers. We'll see how many of them show up!
At about 4:30 or so, the custodian in my room and I became aware of a helicopter flying overhead and some emergency vehicles pulling into the driveway of the elementary school behind the middle school. Sure enough, the helicopter landed in the field between our schools, awaiting an accident victim to be airlifted to a hospital. Apparently our field was the safest and closest place to land to get the victim. A few of us stood in the cold wind and drizzle to watch. It undid my "do" but I can't pass up an opportunity to watch something like that! One of my colleagues suggested that I should turn on my "scanner" to listen to the air traffic, but my HT was in the car (although I'm almost certain that frequency is programmed in there).
When I got back to my desk in my room, it soon became apparent that I didn't need my "scanner." Dan Criswell was IMing me. He was on the "run" that responded to the accident. Within minutes, I knew that it was a single car accident on SR 39---ran off the road...29-year-old guy with suspected internal bleeding. Sent off via helicopter toward Martinsville. Ain't radio (and Internet) grand???
Note: I have been suffering from plantar fasciitis in my right foot for a couple of months now. (More commonly known as heel spurs.) Yesterday, I just puttered around the house...and walked absolutely normally all day. No pain because I wasn't stressing my feet. Today, I wore my "good" walking shoes (highly stylish, I'll tell you!)...and managed MOST of the day without pain. Maybe...JUST maybe...the foot is healing? I still have to be aware of what I am doing to my poor doggies, but I sure hope this means there is light at the end of the tunnel. This condition doesn't fix itself quickly. Weeks to months and months...
Fall Break and Halloween approacheth. I've got my punkins. How about you?
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