Reflections at the midpoint of the school year
yesterday was the final day of 2nd quarter. The students were there for only half a day, as the afternoon was reserved for teachers to do grades and catch up on things. Most of us had completed our grading. I had, although I will head to school this morning to give some students a chance to raise their grades so that either they will not fail or they can achieve a higher letter grade.
I have been with my students for almost all of the last quarter. I have gotten to know them within the context of the school and increasingly in the context of their families and the larger community. Some can walk to school. Others take a bus, or Metro, or both. A few are transported in family cars.
By now I know their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, in some cases their hopes and fears.
I wish I had more than three days to reflect. I was off yesterday because i had a tooth pulled early in the morning. I reflected some about the weeks as l recovered from the procedure, and have continued that process this morning, before I head to school.
I am not paid for this. Were I to volunteer to assist for the regular 1/2-day Saturday school, I would receive extra
I have been with my students for almost all of the last quarter. I have gotten to know them within the context of the school and increasingly in the context of their families and the larger community. Some can walk to school. Others take a bus, or Metro, or both. A few are transported in family cars.
By now I know their personalities, their strengths and weaknesses, in some cases their hopes and fears.
I wish I had more than three days to reflect. I was off yesterday because i had a tooth pulled early in the morning. I reflected some about the weeks as l recovered from the procedure, and have continued that process this morning, before I head to school.
I am not paid for this. Were I to volunteer to assist for the regular 1/2-day Saturday school, I would receive extra
an Obama voter as 3/5 of a person
3/5 of a person. That should be familiar. It is how slaves were counted for purposes of representation (and taxation) in the U. S. House in the original Constitution:
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.And as one could read about the proposal in Virginia to change how the state awards its electoral votes, in A Message To The Virginia GOP From A Plantation, a blog post by Paul Bibeau earlier this week,
This plan counts the votes of Obama supporters, or Democrats, or "urban people" - Have I used the right code words here? Do we know who we're talking about? - less than other Virginians.But you need to do the actual math. No one on your side - at least I hope no one on your side -