Good day all,

I am still struggling with my internet connection.  Most frustrating!  I can't tell you how many emails & comments never got posted because my connect disappeared.  New modem, new connector, discovery that my connection on the pole was incorrect (now I have only 21 channels on the television, but it's just company so no biggie), and my signal is still too weak.  Dear man has gone back for extra cable and some meter to try something else.  Such is life!  The boy is back!  Changed out a splitter and my connectivity has quadrupled!  We may have this licked!!!

Interesting week at school.  Number of failures is about the same but they are failing with 50s instead of 30s.  That's a start.  I wonder if I am lowering the bar some way... hope not.  Discipline issues are still huge.  Porno ring has several of your young men at home for a few days.  Unlike paper, digital images are easy to track and administrators just followed the trail from cell phone to IPOD to MP3 player and back to the phone.  Two young women were caught with alcohol because one was so drunk she was staggering before 10 am!   Another girl pushed a teacher into the wall... teacher would have dropped the whole thing if the student has just apologized... unfortunately this is a youngster who would is neither liked nor respected by her peers, so she works at being feared.  Very sad.  I've seen her out  eatching over and playing with the young ones in the street.  She is kind and protective with them... how do we translate those positive relationships into the rest of her life.  Another young lady was hauled off by the authorities on a bench warrent for something she did in the hood.  Then there was the 6th grade boy that whipped "it" out during break and invited everyone to come and see what he had.  It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.  One the other side of the coin, our lone entry in the county science fair earned a blue ribbon and will be moving on to state.  4 of our middlings earned recognition in the local Washington's day essay contest.  The band youngsters placed in the highest ranking for a HUGE jazz band competition (these are middlings I'm talking about!) for the 5th year in a row.  Two of my Hispanic girls took several of the class roddies to task, telling them how it would be if they were in school in Mexico.  Told those foolish boys that if they wanted to waste their opportunities fine, but get out of our way!  I just stood there with my chin shining my shoes.  It was a moment to savor.  Most of our middlings are making an effort... if I could just figure out how to get the fools out of our way I would be a happy teacher!

High stakes test is in 2 weeks and then on to the Science Fair.  Unfortunately parental support is not easy to come by, so many of my middlings do their experiments and projects in school.  This is actually a very exciting time.   Lots of stuff going on and with information and ideas being shared.  We all enjoy the unstructured nature of the process and I particularly love watching them "help" each other.  We have geeks and artists and scientists and writers... and when they will offer and accept their strengths and weaknesses... well magic does occur.

I'm off.  Still lots to do... I need dry cells and I work at the store this evening. 

be well dear friends