Amazing

I'm a little surprised that 1st period is actually soaking up "March of the Penguins." Not that I doubted the cinematography in the slightest ~ I just didn't think they'd stay focused for more than 15 seconds. I'm not big on extra credit, but I did tell them I'd give them an extra point on their test if they walk like a penguin when they leave my class. We'll see what happens. I know, I'm a freak.

I'm not trying to sound ungrateful at all, and I feel a little guilty recording this in the public eye, but since nobody really reads this, I think I'm okay. All of these gifts are thoughtful & sweet, and some are simply a bit more useful than others. So far, here's the inventory of Christmas booty from my dear students:

• 2 red plaid mugs with Scotty dogs on them (love tea, hate plaid Scotty dogs)
• tiny glass vial of sand & colored shells from a local beach
• ceramic Christmas reindeer figurine with a broken antler
• apple-themed kitchen set (notepad, shopping list, coupon organizer, & recipe cards)
• scented bath lotion & body spray (hey, do I really smell that bad?)
  
• Christmas dish filled with baked goodies (SRO already teased me for munching this early)
• plastic ball ornament stuffed with bath confetti
  
• various handwritten cards & holiday wishes

So far, so good. Each gift-giver was totally sweet & kind to remember their teacher at Christmas time, and I'm truly grateful for their thoughtfulness. In fact, some of their cards actually made me teary-eyed & helped me to remember why I'm doing this, even though it's harder than I ever imagined.

Okay. I really should finish grading these tests. I don't want to be sitting busily at my desk when the rest of this school is a ghost town later on this afternoon.

I think I will have penguin noises running through my head all day. OH. Penguins are just too incredibly cute for words.