Morning, all. Headed to the doc today. Arm’s still giving me troubles, and the name “Chicken Wing” has begun to stick as a result of my carrying it tucked closely to my side. Oh, kids are lovely little critters. So, before Super Syrie gives way to Chicken Wing, I am taking the day off to literally get things straightened out. That said, this morning’s post will be a mix of miscellaneous musings.

1. Time does not fly; it vanishes. Poof! 60 days gone. 120 to go. 180 will be gone before we know. And only just now, I’m finding my pace. Things need to slow down. Feels like a race. So much to do. Can’t do it all. Winter’s now come. What happened to fall? Okay. Enough sappy rhyme. But time is vanishing. And yesterday, I continued to press my kids to make much of time, telling them it cares not for their success or failure. And if they don’t “eat” the opportunity, time will. Time lives off opportunity.
2. Gotta hunch. Gonna act on it. So, as midterm portfolios continue to trickle in with parent and student signatures (the only price exacted for the A), I’ve begun to notice some sketchy parent signatures. I suspect that some of my kids have taken up a new hobby: amateur forgery–heavy on the amateur. Not my first rodeo, but reluctant to falsely accuse or accidentally offend a parent with a naturally sketchy signature (my own’s pretty shady), I am going to contact all my parents with a follow up email , thanking the ones who signed, reminding the ones who didn’t, and maybe surprising the ones who never knew there was something to be signed in the first place.  Really, it comes down to our being a third of the way through the year, and I can’t–for their sakes–let some of my kids continue to sacrifice their opportunity to the insatiable thief, time. So, I am going to step in. As I shared yesterday, and as I shared in the letter that went home to parents on day one, I cannot do this alone. 180 days. 180 degrees, evenly split. 60 teacher. 60 student. 60 parent. Has to be.
3. Said goodbye to my college kids last night. Lovely group of kiddos. So excited for them to continue their own journeys into this awesome profession. I am honored to share my experiences with them. And I am proud to bid adieu to another group of aspiring young teachers with one word etched in their minds, one word that I believe is the key: relationships.
4. Sharing a smile. Yesterday, I received an email from one of the editors at Edutopia seeking my permission to promote my recently published “Movies in the Classroom” article as one of their own. You see, generally speaking, anyone can publish articles in their Community Forum, and I have published a few. If Edutopia likes what you’ve published, then they will promote the article through their various social-media platforms. Of course, I granted permission. They wanted me to make some edits for length and rework the conclusion, but that was no problem. I am just excited to have another opportunity to reach a wider audience. Earlier this past year, they also promoted my “Is Our Grading System Fair” article, which has nearly reached 40,000 views and 11,000 shares. Beyond helping call attention to and promote Project 180, I look forward to the opportunities of starting and continuing conversations about education. Just wanted to share.

Happy Wednesday, all. Sorry for the mixed bag this morning. Have a great day.