HM Burns The Midnight Oil

I had hoped to bring you a witty slice of my keyword-search stockpile
tonight, but that is not to be. I have HOMEWORK! Try as I might to
get caught up...it ain't happenin' during the school day. Or even staying
after school for an hour. I must burn the midnight oil here at home.

It does not help that I have the basketball game ticket duty on Thursday,
and #2 son's Christmas Program. It does not help that now we have to
code our lesson plans in Basementia, and have them turned in by 8:00
Monday mornings. I am not complaining about turning in the lesson
plans, but that there is that deadline. I am not in Basementia by 8:00.
That means my deadline is Friday by 4:00. Which kind of sucks to be
Hillbilly Mom, because others may procrastinate until Sunday night to
get theirs ready, or come up with some really innovative ideas over
the weekend. But I have to rush during the week to get them done and
turned in. Don't go telling me to plan them a week ahead. What kind of
people are you? Sometimes it doesn't even pay to plan a whole week
at once, because we never stay on schedule. Things come up, too many
are absent, the class doesn't catch on to something, etc. Then I am
moving things into next week that I thought I would be done with.

Oh, and have I mentioned that we have to turn in our Semester Final
Examinations? I'm sure I have. They are due on Monday. That would
be a chore anyway, what with getting them ready now by Wednesday
night, so I can turn them in on Thursday afternoon, what with the
festivities in store for me on Thursday. But now we have that pesky
winter weather headed our way, and who knows what Thursday will
bring, so I must make up three of them tonight. Good luck to me! I
need two Maths and a Language. Excuse me. Communication Arts.
Oh, and I need to make sure I hit all four Depths of Knowledge Levels
with each one of those. So don't be thinkin' I can whip up a little True-
False thingy in five minutes.

Then there's the matter of coding those lesson plans...There is no
specific order concerning what to code them to. I am using my Grade
Level Expectations, since that is all that keeps me sane in knowing
what I have to teach in my 6 different classes this year. Some have
been coding to the Missouri Frameworks. That is more general, but
it doesn't tell me squat when I look at what I still have left to cover
before the MAP-Testing window. I suppose I could be like a certain
person who shall not be named, and just write things like: I 2a, 5, 7b
at random on each lesson. I don't think the lesson plan police would
catch on to me.

Anyhoo...I'm off to do the right thing. I am a professional, you know.
And not a Professional Smart-A$$, like HH says.