Wednesday, November 5, 2008

I am not here today, but I will be posting more information on Hamlet for the APees once I return from taking my father to see his physician. No, I'm not out due to the election--although it is a happy coincidence that I get to spend some time with my dad today, since he stayed up far too late last night watching the returns and listening to the speeches and is now very discombobulated.

Both candidates for President of our country ran exhausting and comprehensive campaigns, and now, a victor has been declared. Both candidates last night pledged support to the other and promised to work together to forge ahead against a tide of problems facing our country, and both last night expressed devotion to our country and its founding principles. I know that some of you are disappointed today; I know that some of you are ecstatic. Regardless of who takes up occupancy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, we are all Americans and we all have a common purpose, and I am proud of both Senators McCain and Obama for handling themselves last night with dignity and decency. It's a message we can all benefit from, and that's all I will say about politics in this space.

Okay, that's not true--I'd like to pontificate on one issue, for just a moment. So often the youth of our country are accused of apathy and narcissism; this is nothing new. Your parents were probably told by their older generation to stop slacking off, and their parents before them. I remember reading a news article that I'll paraphrase thus: "The kids today are irreverent, and listen to disrespectful music, and care for nothing but their own needs, and wear sloppy and casual clothes, and don't invest in anything but their instant pleasures and distractions." That editorial was written in 1902. Now, here we are in 2008, and I still hear that chorus: The kids are not interested in the world around them.

I have to respectfully disagree, and I think it is a testament to your generation and your peers that I have never seen so many students involved in an election before. Yesterday at school, students were wearing their "I Voted" stickers, or party buttons, or T-shirts touting their candidate of choice. Several students volunteered for a campaign, or volunteered with their church community to get out the vote, or simply maintained a high level of awareness that I had not seen before. And on an analogous note, the number of volunteer hours pouring into Guidance this year is staggering. So many kids have gone beyond the 75 that are required for Bright Futures that it is positively inspirational how much you are willing to give of yourselves.

This year's senior class has high grades, high test scores, high levels of involvement, and serious goals for college admission. I see similar patterns of greatness in the younger groups, too. Oh, and our football team rocks. Not to sound like Candide, but I do have to say: Optimism Now! Your attitudes and willingness to cooperate in a budget crisis year have been inspiring, especially amid the bell schedule change, and I am proud to teach at Boone High School and work with you.

OK, soapbox over. Here's the lesson for today:

Gifted English II: Please read "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift, and answer the brilliantly insightful questions after the essay. It is in your satire packet and Mrs. Jones has extra copies should you need them.

APees: Don't hate me, but we never finished the last multiple choice practice session, and we are taking a very, very big test in May. Sample Test IV in the beige book (edition six, by the light switch) starts with a bang--the first passage is a lu-lu. Enjoy! We are returning to Hamlet tomorrow, so have Act III read and digested before coming to class.

Have a great day, and remember that today is Gunpowder Day (remember, remember, the fifth of November) and tomorrow, oddly enough, is Marooned Without a Compass Day and Saxaphone Day. I love that Eric K. brings us these weird holidays. Off to fetch my parental unit now, so over and out, Braves!