Happy End of Week

My first TGIF of the school year! Jam-packed weekend ahead: free concert at City Hall Plaza, some Ikea lovin', the big Greek Festival, and a Sunday afternoon Red Sox game. Shiny.

So I created a new enrichment class to teach this year called Technology & Media, thinking no one would sign up and I'd have an extra free period. Apparently this was dumb: not only is the class full, but they've been trying to sneak extras into the class- kids just showing up saying the Office Ladies told them they could be in this class. Too bad I only have 10 computers in the library, fools!

And if I do say so myself, the class is pretty cool. Kids are already planning projects like editing their own short films and creating vodcasts to show others in the class, website design for companies they'd like to start (crazy little 8th grade entrepreneurs!), and doing a demonstration on the differences between the PS1, PS2, and the soon-to-be-released PS3. They were also intrigued when I mentioned I'd bring in Parappa the Rapper for us to play, since I wouldn't tell them much about it. (I didn't want to start the rap battle phenomenon I had here last year, it was a bad scene. Fortunately, Parappa's french fry lyrics are better than any they'd come up with on their own.)

But a big sigh of relief: this years 8th graders are quiet and docile- they don't even have the potential to reach the level of doofus achieved by last year's 8th graders. I no longer have to dread Friday mornings to death. One of the boys even alerted me to the fact that some of the websites we were viewing had links to "inappropriate material"- an ad for true.com with a girl's boobs all hanging out of her tank top. Last years kids probably would have been huddled around it, guffawing and high-fiving each other as if they'd scored big time.

Anyway, now that the Tech & Media class is a big hit, I've had loads of teachers approaching me asking if I would do a class for them with the same topics. Uhh, for cash money? I will teach you anything you want to know about myspace and Google. Hell, I'll be the techno pimp of the district if you give me graduate credit.

She works hard for her money. So haaaard for her money.



PS- One of the Chinese dudes just asked to borrow a "lurer". It took me about 3 full, awkward minutes and a good deal of miming to decipher he was looking for a RULER. I miss their talking translators.