Learning never stops.

My darlings were taking a quiz today for Huck Finn; and as they were getting their pens and paper out one scholar said to me, "You know, these quizzes really bring my grade down." I wasn't sure what she was implying with that statement. Do my quizzes not compliment my lesson plans? Was I not following state guidelines for what the students are supposed to learn? My conscience screams, "Oh, no--what is wrong with my quizzes?!"

Then I remembered that I was talking to a teenager. So I reminded her, "You know Melodi (trust me, I spelled it "correctly"), some students actually benefit from these quizzes. Some of them are actually are getting, (whispering now) A's." She cocked her head up to the pencil stuck in my ceiling and stared. Seconds later she uttered a, "Huh," like I just read something deep from The Dead Sea Scrolls. That was it. She turned her attention back to the quiz in front of her and finished writing her name.

Who knows? Maybe I got through to her. Maybe this newfound knowledge will alter her study skills and Melodi will move on to academic excellence. I do have my doubts, though.

As I glanced down at her paper, I noted she was writing her name in highlighter (with a little pink heart over the "i").