It Must Be May

I'm tired. Not the type of tired you get when you've worked out for two hours, or the type of tired you get when you eat too many slices of pizza at a RoundTable pizza buffet. I am tired in the emotionally and mentally drained way.
Here it is, 8:00 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and I am ready for bed, my eyes barely able to stay open. In an effort to keep myself awake, I stopped in at my Pre-College English classes blogs to see what the students had written for this week. We have just finished Book II of Cry, The Beloved Country. As I scroll through the sites, I notice a few things. One, just over ten of my fifty plus students had posted--they must post before the end of today. Why does this bother me? It shouldn't. I know they all wait until the last minute, 11:59 before they post. They will throw-up a few words onto the screen and call it good. Kinda defeats the purpose of a class blog.
Two, already someone has posted about the NBA Rookie of the Year, Brandon Roy. SERIOUSLY? We are two thirds of the way through a novel like Cry, the Beloved Country, and I have to read a post about the NBA Rookie of the Year?
Three, perception can be a dangerous enemy of a teacher. For Cry, the Beloved Country, I have used Literature Circles to allow for self-directed learning. I try to float around the room and sit with groups that are seriously off-task or are discussing something of value. Apparently I have not disbursed my time evenly. One student took exception to this. He also believes I ripped him apar today in class. I perceived the interaction as not letting him get away with vague answers to critical thinking questions. But, he at least recognized that.
It all goes back to being tired. So, here is my list of things I am tired of:
1. Lazy students.
2. High School Athletics--I just finished coaching back to back seasons for the first time.
3. District Officials who don't do the right thing.
4. Cool temperatures and little sunshine.
5. Nancy Pelosi and George Bush.