Procrastination

I'm sitting in detention. It's frustrating, because I'm good every single week, and yet I still have to sit in detention every Tuesday.  Ho-hum.

Detention isn't much good for planning, unless it's an exceptionally small group like last week. This week, I have 9 students spread throughout the room, 3 reds and 5 yellows (on the behavioral stop light scale). Fortunately, I can write while scanning around.

I do have planning to do, although I am up to date on this week's action plan. This week is an easy week for planning (and an extra red 5th grader just walked in -- frequently kicked out of 5th grade detention, and does better here) because next week is the 3rd NSA (and Red #1, who sits right next to me, needs redirecting) (Yellow #1 needs to go ask the math teacher a question) (Red #1 needs redirecting again). Due to the exam, I don't need to plan for Wednesday (test) and half of Thursday (practical). Unfortunately, when I have less to do, it's harder to do it. It doesn't help that I switched my Friday after-school duty for a Wednesday after-school duty, so I "have" to save myself at least one day of planning for Friday, which I don't tend to do. That means I have to force myself to relax, stress less. I really can't wait until this Thursday, which is a big test that I'll use as a diagnostic for the NSA. I love data!

This week, I'm 100% on workouts so far. I did 30 minutes easy on the bike trainer, while watching the first 30 minutes of last week's episode of Bunheads (to quote a colleague, "We work hard. We deserve to watch that sort of stuff"). Tonight will have a higher activation energy, but greater reward. (Yes, 100% on task. 2 yellows and a red slouching, but it's detention. You gotta pick your battles.) Tonight I have to run 3 miles. It's gonna be cold, but once I get past the first half mile or so, it'll be great. Besides, I've told you about it, so there's no turning back. I'm hoping this week will be my first 100% compliant week in workouts (4 runs - 3 mi, 3 mi, 6 mi, 3 mi; 3 bikes - 30 min each; 1 swim - 1 mi). Even though we have conferences tomorrow, I still think I can do it.

(A colleague just walked in, to give make-up work to a couple of students. Surprisingly, most of detention stays on task.)

(Check email. Delete ads.)

(Scan.)

(Yellow #2, "Sit up". Tap Red #1's desk. He sits up.)

I'm trying a new grading technique for Thursdays test. It should streamline the process. For the multiple choice, rather than having students circle their answers on the test booklet, I'm giving them a bubble sheet (poor man's Scantron). This way, I can bubble in an answer key, copy it onto a transparency, and lay it over the answer sheets. It's really easy to pick out wrong answers this way.

(Yellow #3 drops pen. Again.)

I do enjoy writing, but I guess I can get some planning done. I think I'll work on the half-lesson after the lab practical.