The End Is in Sight

Like the Yarn Harlot and her knitting schedule, I have a grading schedule. I've learned as a teacher the priceless value of mini-deadlines. Business people call them "milestones." Whatev. They work.

One batch of grades was due today at five and you can be sure that at 4:59 I was entering the last one. Tomorrow I expect to have an email box full of requests to change those B+ grades to A-.*

Beginning at 6:30 a.m., I graded, minus an hour-long delay pouring over my new knitting book, one brief break to attempt a nap (too overwrought), many trips to the fridge for Pepsi One (3 downed by 11 am; I have no idea how many by now), trips to the bathroom (because that's a damn lot of soda), trips to the kitchen for vitamin C (because grading always gives me a cold), one small break where I absolutely had to start winding Rachel's yarn into a ball, another break where I absolutely had to finish winding it, one half-hour nap, and a brief break to jam the CD player full of blues anthologies.

Around 3:30, I finally put on real clothes and headed in to school.

I think all I've eaten today is popcorn and Christmas cookies. Maybe a pretzel stick.

Next deadline: tomorrow, a 7 a.m. final.

______________

On the desk:

• 8 3-page essays complaining about a problem at school (no solution required)
• 42 finals

Incoming:

• 8 finals

*My answer? No.