...quote from 40 years ago

In last Thursday's Finger Lakes Times under "Days of Yore" a section that recalls interesting events locally and/or nationally 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago on this date I noticed an interesting comment made by then President Nixon in 1971. Needless to say it spawned my lastest editorial cartoon shown below.

It was fun to do and I sent a copy to the FL Times, should they care to post in this weeks paper. Enjoy!

Anxious!

Just got on to the computer this morning after working on school things:

• correcting papers
• thinking about this weeks' topics (Biology - reproduction topics /AP Biology classes - ecology topics) and all the subtopics(mitosis, meiosis, gametogenesis, & hormones/keystone species, interspecific competition, energy flow, niches, etc) that will need to be addressed this coming week.
• thinking about a variety of ways to present subtopics that will appeal to those who don't get it the first time through (notes didn't work, so maybe a crossword puzzle? ...another white board illustration? ...an analogy, ...Hmmn?? what else could I use???).
• thinking about what materials I will need ... physical/hands on stuff (yesterday collecting pill bugs), internet resources (WXXI - TV On Demand), familar practical examples for kids (plant cuttings on your mother or grandmother's kitchen window sill).
• sketching out how I will access whether or not students understand the concepts to be covered this week (multiple choice?? ...free response questions?? ... scoring and weighting questions? ... and then the grading and logging of computer grades.)
• the constant reaching out and inviting students back to the topic of discussion from their "little brush fire conversations"
• ...the distractions: ipods & the daggling wires to ear plugs; hands under the desk to text and/or read text messages --- so you give another reminder to put them away, while having this mental image of placing the device on the floor and crushing it

...and then I looked at my current computer desk top background photo taken last October while backpacking the Long Trail in Vermont.

I know I will be more than ready to turn the classroom over to the regular biology teacher whom I am filling in for while she is on maternity leave until spring break in April.