Tuesday, February 26, 2008

This is the day

Random thoughts on a winter’s day.

David said: “This is the day the LORD has made. Let us and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) I often have to be reminded of that. Here in Missouri, winter seems to linger on and on. We have days of below freezing with some snow and ice, followed by a day or two of warm (or relatively warm) weather. Of course, it is hard to enjoy the warmth when the forecast calls for another round of winter weather!


I was reading to my youngest the other day, and came across this quote (a father telling his daughter why she should not use improper grammar, even in informal settings): “Language is the clothing for your thoughts, my dear. A thought surely deserves to be dressed in its very best when it enters the world.” I whole-heartedly agree. I find it hard to write an email or IM note without using correct punctuation and grammar. It must be the teacher in me.

The school year is getting long. February and March are always the hardest months. Grey, cold days; long stretches with no holidays; students who give up and let their grades slide. I tell them the third quarter is the hardest, both because of the dreariness of this time of year, and the fact the material gets tougher. They never believe me until a week or two before report cards come out and their grade is not as high as they would wish. I had a prof in grad school who theorized that once a student gets half way though a term, that the grade is pretty much what it will be at the end, and there is not much one can do to change it. Try telling that to an almost 16-year-old who has been told he cannot get his driver’s permit if he has any poor grades!

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