the best-laid plans

The Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote, "The best-laid plans of mice and men/(Often go awry)" (roughly translated from the Scottish brogue). Well, the end of this school year certainly proved his point.

I did not anticipate getting a Trifecta of Woe: strep, tonsillitis, and some mystery virus lurking under it all. I did not anticipate missing an entire week of school (!) nor graduation nor grad practice. And I did not anticipate how weak this experience would leave me, and how even half-days are utterly enervating.

Thus, I curved the final. Remarkably, no one failed, and one B. Dawkins set the curve. Several people made As and Bs, so something must have worked out okay in the universe.

I wish each of you a safe and happy summer; please do your summer work for your upcoming classes, and breathe a sigh of relief that a challenging year (YoS) is behind us. For the graduated seniors, if you still even read this: Much love and luck in college and beyond. For the soon-to-be-juniors: I hope to see you again in AP Lit, and you can always pop next door and visit next fall!

If you have any questions or need anything (service hours, life issues, whatevs) you can reach me over the summer at my usual e-mail address; I promise to check it at least every couple of days. The entire campus is locked down for mid-July, but as of now I anticipate being up here through June teaching English III/IV in summer session.

Be good, people. Read a lot. Take care of your family and friends. And realize that your journeys are just beginning. . .