I got the blues... the end of Spring Break blues...

Ho hum, it's that depressing time of year. The end of Spring Break. Yuck. It's been so nice to have time off to get stuff done, stay up late (check the time code on this post), sleep in late, watch basketball all day long (even if your team DOES majorly choke on the national stage), and generally be a lazy bum.

Last weekend, I was highly productive. I painted the baby's room (twice, since I didn't like the original color!), mowed the yard, and did some cleaning around the house. Earlier in the week, I graded tests, rated TELPAS writing samples, and did some lesson plans. Then the tournament began, and I was pretty much a lump on the couch for a couple of days.

Attended a wedding this evening, and my wife and I have a "Baby basics" class to attend tomorrow afternoon.

And then suddenly, it will be time to go to bed early for classes the next morning! Yikes!!

Anybody else got some Spring Break stories to share? Feel free in the comments section!

10 more weeks??

Daggonit, Spring Break is over!! I certainly can't complain about the break. It was nice and relaxing, the weather was great, I got to catch up on sleep, on TV, and I got to watch ALL the basketball I wanted to.

However, that first day back is always torture. Then looking on the calendar and seeing that we don't have another day off between here and 2015. . .

The great news however is that my kids did really, really well on the TAKS reading test! The scores came in over the break, and only 4 kids out of my two classes did not pass! One even earned herself a million dollar bill by achieving a perfect score! In addition, 11 or 12 others received a Commended score!! So they did great!

In a sad piece of news, one of the members of our faculty went to the hospital with a brain aneurism last week, and she is now by all reports brain dead. I know that most people reading this don't know her, but I would still ask you to keep her and her family in your prayers. Thanks.

Spring Break has Broke!

AH YES!!! Spring Break is upon us! And once again, the stars are aligned and the universe is at peace, since they moved our break back to the week when the NCAA men's basketball tournament begins.

Last year was miserable, as not only did we have school on the Thursday that the games began, but it was also parent conference night, so I didn't get to see ANY basketball that day!!

Speaking of, if you're a fan, or even if you just want something to do with the chance to win a prize, head over to my espn.com bracket challenge and make your picks. Bragging rights is the biggest prize, but the top person in my pool will win a nice DVD set called "The Founding of America," courtesy of A&E Entertainment and The History Channel.

Late last week, Ed U Cater stopped by my room and put my simple plan into effect. He stood in the doorway and said in a conspiratorial voice, "Did you get that note about the district saying that 1 yard equals 3 feet?"

I replied, "The kids aren't supposed to hear that!!" (since of course there was dead silence by that time).

A few minutes later, as I was getting ready to dismiss class, I said to the kids, "You didn't really hear what he said, did you?"

Several kids yelled, "Yes we did!! He said 1 yard equals 3 feet!!"

So a good trial run for the simple plan. We'll see how well that information is retained when we get back from break. Thankfully, Spring Break isn't quite as bad a memory wipe as Summer Vacation (I liken the kids' brains to a beach ball with a slow leak).

What are your Spring Break plans?

Don't you just hate losing an hour over the weekend? Well, the good thing for me is that this week is my Spring Break, so I was able to sleep in for that extra hour and make it up this morning.

And since it's Monday, it's time for another INTERACTIVE MONDAY!!!!

This is your second chance to get in on the March Monday Madness contest, for the chance to win a book or a T-shirt! Just leave a response to this post, and you're in!

This week's question is, What will you do over your Spring Break this year?

Normally, my Spring Break is a week later, and it's the week when the college basketball tournament starts. The first round of the tournament is always during the day on a Thursday and a Friday, so in the past few years, I've been able to watch it all. Unfortunately, the tournament starts NEXT week, and I'm off THIS week. So this year, my plans for Spring Break are mostly to relax, catch up on my sleep, and do some writing. I'll be hosting the Carnival of Education this Wednesday, and that involves some writing. I'd also like to get a few weeks ahead on my education.com columns. Oh, and my nephew turns one year old on Thursday, so we'll be celebrating his birthday in style.

OK, whether you're Spring Break is this week or sometime in the future, leave a witty rejoinder and let me know what your plans are!

Carnivals, brackets, and breaks, oh my!

Hey everyone, the 100th Carnival of Education is up and running over at The Education Wonks. Check it out, and do your part to stimulate the economy.

Also, today is the last day to get your March Mathness picks in before the tournament starts tomorrow. I just made my picks, and I am downright ashamed of whom I have picked to go all the way. But IMC Guy would be very happy. Actually, right now my biggest hope is that Duke doesn't lose in the first round to VCU.

And since I'm on Spring Break and basketball starts tomorrow, there will most likely be no more posts until next week. Enjoy the break!!