Friday, March 23, 2007

Rain, Rain.....

...Didn't Go Away....

But, to tell the truth, I could have ridden and not gotten saturated.

But, once again the evil migraine was lurking. I guess this week is one of my bad ones. I got adjusted AGAIN this morning and then went back to school for some terribly uninspiring workshops--the kids had the day off--and never did quite recover.

Instead, on the way home I stopped at Motor Vehicle to renew my registrations on the horse trailer and the car, just missing a long line of other citizens with the same idea, and then went home as it really started raining in earnest.

I fed the Boys, and as I did, the skies let up again, so had I really wanted to, I could have managed a school or two. Nah. I went in and lay down with ice packs and heat on my head and neck.

I'm feeling better now. Sometimes once the nerves are irritated, is just takes time for them to settle down.

I did not yet write my letter about the performance. I did check a few facts with other teachers to confirm everything and it turned out I was right on the mark about all the seating arrangements. The Vice Principal actually took the tape off seats the performing arts teacher had absolutely marked as bad so he could seat our kids there. A third teacher who was down there apparently had it "out" with him later that day and told him off as well, at which point he apparently conceded he might have made a mistake. I'll draft the letter this weekend so it's ready Monday. I am not going to let this one slide.

The show is going on tonight and tomorrow night, so a student who really liked it and wants to see it again, can, but I'm not sure many will go. Getting transportation is the first problem and the fact that the play is such an intellectual challenge is the second. We are a regional school district that covers an entire county, with students from many miles away. It would take a pretty good committment for anyone to get there for an evening show.

Including me. I was going to go myself tonight, but I'm not feeling up to it, so that leaves tomorrow night. Even when I am up to par the piece is a difficult experience, so I won't blame any student who doesn't go back to see it. Hopefully I will feel OK, as I really do want to support the cast and crew. Many of the kids are in my classes and are truly and rightly proud of their work.

One more little rant. If you are familiar with PowerPoint, the computer presentation software, you will understand. Why is it that people think putting a lot of words on a slide and then reading them to a group is a good way of presenting material to a large group? Dozens of slides with words--read word for word and provided to the crowd in a handout as well? PP in the hands of people with no creative imagination or concept as to how VISUAL presentation is supposed to ENHANCE material is a crime to human intellect.

Do you think I could become rich hiring myself out as a consultant to teach people how to make effective, enlightening, and, above all INTERESTING presentations using PP?

Maybe when I retire?????

2 comments:

  1. Do you think I could become rich hiring myself out as a consultant to teach people how to make effective, enlightening, and, above all INTERESTING presentations using PP?

    Well you could in Britain Jean, yes. And you would be about as badly needed here as you are at home. I once did a slide with a picture of nothing on it but a hamburger, and said nothing relating to it, just clicked to the next slide after a minute or so, to check if my audience were still awake after the last guy had done just what you said and bored the audience rigid!

    What Planet is your Principal from?
    Dorkius? He sounds either like a complete twit, or a power freak.

    C

    ReplyDelete
  2. jean, i hate that sort of presentation, and yes, people do make money teaching people how to do it properly, but the people who do that sort of presentation don't realise how tedious it is and so won't learn! euch.

    ReplyDelete