Days 19 & 20 - Cheaters, Voters, and Slippers.

Remember how I mentioned sprucing up my little corner of the classroom with my Pi poster and math clock? Well, I did--and it looks great. Yesterday's picture is a little teaser of the awesomeness that is my "intern corner".

Yes. It starts at "3.14..." and continues for over 5,000 digits. Awesome, much? 

Speaking of yesterday, it was a rather tough day for me. Not only was it long, but while grading papers my mathematical brain noticed an unfortunate pattern. By the time I looked over all the papers, I found eight different students with the exact same answers.

At first, I was all like, "Mwahahaha, I caught you cheating!" Then, when it kept happening, I ended up very angry and upset; especially over one student for whom I had really developed a lot of respect.

I just wonder, how in the world is a teacher supposed to handle something like this? I know it happens all the time, and I'm glad I came across it now rather than in my first year of teaching. I'm rather distressed about it. My mentor encouraged me to let it go, like I was encouraging her to let something ago just earlier this week; we'll figure it out and get through it.

On the bright side, the super comfy L.L. Bean slippers that I bought on major sale came in today and the nice people in the post office let my roommate pick them up for me! Although they aren't the color I originally wanted (when I first saw them in 2010), they're perfect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Switching gears...the SC Primary is tomorrow and I'm still not completely sure for whom I'm going to vote. I've heard good and bad about each candidate.

 I do know for whom I'm not going to vote..the fool who wants to completely eradicate the Department of Education. Just because it isn't in the constitution, doesn't mean it is completely unnecessary. As a student who has received and greatly benefited from federal Stafford loans, I would hate for future students to not have that as an option to help pay for school.

We're not living in the stone age, sir, when a semester of college is $350. 

Just as I was beginning to favor one candidate, my father tells me about another one he finds more qualified based on his standards for a national leader. I'm torn now. I've got until tomorrow to figure it out...