New Rule
Thursday, 17 December 2009 Clay Burell 
Print This Post
Forty research papers. Then 100 China and Western Civ exams, all with essays. All in the last five days. I need a massage.
I also need a Do Not Go to Doghouse pass.
The birthdays in the last two weeks:
- My wife.
- My Dad (Happy Birthday, Dad! You’re just waking up in Alabama while I’m hunched over my desk at school with eyestrain and red ink-stained fingers at 6pm here on the other side of the world! But I’m thinking of you! Thanks for making me, even though that makes you partly responsible for the nightmare that is semester exam week! I forgive you!)
- My sister! (Ouch! Sorry! Totally forgot! You have to understand that December in Singapore isn’t December! It’s every other month! It’s Groundhog Month!)
Am I complaining? No! I love them all.
And am I complaining about the old teaching buddy and his wife who visited last week as I was trying to make the exams? Or about the four Korean in-laws I really do love so much who arrived just an hour ago for a (very Confucian) *cough* three-week stay in our apartment?
No! I love them all too!
But still. New Rule: Teachers are above all social laws and norms, from this day forward, during the last two weeks of the semester.
Also: No birthdays or anniversaries during this time either. A two-week grace period is hereby declared.
Let the word ring out across the land. (And seriously — if you’re mad at a teacher over stuff like this, cut ‘em a break. You have no idea what a SCUBA experience this time of year is. Give him or her time to surface, and things will be fine.)
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
No. 1 — December 17th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Peace to you, Clay. You captured the essence of this for many.
.-= Steve Ransom´s last blog ..Federal Doublespeak =-.
Reply
No. 2 — December 18th, 2009 at 4:05 am
Wow, Clay, I’m guessing you spent somewhere between 30-40 hours of evaluating student work in the past 5 days…crazy. Enjoy your rest if you get a vacation here over the holidays. Sounds like you indeed deserve it.
.-= Matt Montagne´s last blog ..1:1 Laptop Learning at Our School Next Year =-.
Reply
Clay Burell Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Don’t tell anybody, but much of the time I was tweeting.
Reply
No. 3 — December 18th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Come now, Clay! It can’t be that bad (says the VERY happily retired Librarian)
.-= Diane Cordell´s last blog ..The Alice Project =-.
Reply
No. 4 — December 18th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
If you’re makin’ rules . . . how about no family visits the first and last weeks of school!? This happened to me this past June and September – Mom and sister both not working have all kinds of time on their hands and are bent out of shape when I can’t “tear myself away” . . . grr! Then the guilt rolls in of course. You’re killing me people!
Reply
Clay Burell Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Consider it decreed.
My inlaws (I love ‘em!) arrived last night, all four of them, while I was inputting grades and comments at school until almost midnight.
Now all I want to do is sleep for 12 or 24 hours, but that would be rude. (And I could do it, too, mat on the office floor and all.)
We’re so misunderstood.
But at least we have jobs.
Jobs that are, in fact, way more wonderful much of the time than most other jobs, I’m convinced. (At least for me. I basically get paid to learn more stuff that I love learning about, and to help others learn it. Not a bad deal.)
Reply
No. 5 — December 18th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
You complain a lot for someone who’s able to blog like 5 articles while you say they’re supposed to be grading papers…
Reply
Clay Burell Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Hi Douglas,
Thanks for the really swell comment. You’re absolutely right. I should be ashamed of myself for not devoting every waking minute of my week to the task. How dare I consider a few 30-minute blocks over the week as “time off.” The gall!
If you’re ever in Asia, please drop by so I can buy you a nice fruit-basket.
In the meantime, keep up the good work of keeping the world sunny!
Cheers!
Reply
No. 6 — December 19th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Hi Clay,
I think you misunderstood my comment. I was just merely mentioning that you posted 3 or 4 large blog posts during the time that you said was hectic and crazy for you. That means you had extra time to post the blog posts.
Over reaction much?
Reply
Clay Burell Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
*facepalm*
Two fruit baskets.
Reply