Yeah, I'm the Beast!

Well, I have been called a lot of things in my life...Marsha, Momma, Babe, Pete, Lady Astor, Marsha Bones, and probably some other unsavory things. I have not, however, ever been called a Beast. Perhaps there were times when it was warranted, like on the soccer field, or after administering a particularly difficult test. I am pretty sure that the same type of sentiment that might have been intimated in those instances is not the one that my eldest, Katie, intended when she drew this picture for me. She meant to say, "Mommy is the best!" And you can all see the end result. Still it made me smile. The weird thing is, I would be a beast for her. I will beat of all the bullies I can, move mountains to make her happy, and protect her before myself. I just don't intend to look like a character from Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The wisdom of youth is priceless.
Work is going pretty well. I gave my eighth graders their first big test this week, 105 vocabulary words from To Kill a Mockingbird and background on Harper Lee. It did not surprise me that the majority of the class did fantastically well. There were actually a couple of perfect scores. I knew they could handle it. We are in the beginning stages of writing short stories, as well, and I can't wait to see what they give me. Their writing always surprises, always makes me laugh, and frequently makes me think. Good stuff. We are going to finish Mockingbird soon, too, and they will write an essay exam for that one. Fun for them. :)
My ninth graders have just finished Animal Farm by George Orwell. They are in the midst of a two day test - first part objective, second part essay. While it is certainly not my favorite book, I think the class enjoyed it. They also really understood the relationship between the animals in the book and historical figures from the Russian Revolution. Hopefully they'll be able to demonstrate understanding of the themes from the book on the essay. Either way, we are moving on to Macbeth next, which I much prefer...
I hope you all are well.
Signing off,
The Beast