Kids say the darndest things, and other thoughts

One of the best conversations I've had recently:

Student 1: "I'm a gangsta gangsta. Hey Ms. Lewis, you ain't got no boyfriend - you wanna go with me?"

Me: "Um no, Student 1."

Student 1: "Why not?"

Me: "Lots of reasons."

Student 2: "She'd go to jail for that!"

Student 1: "If you go to jail, I'd come visit you."

Initially, I was just intrigued and amused by the idea of a "gangster gangster" but then suddenly the conversation got even crazier. I had not smiled and laughed so much in my classroom in a while.

Academically, the last couple of weeks have seen great successes and great failures. In class I see my kids continue to improve in their reasoning and critical thinking, but then they absolutely BOMB the state writing test, partially due to lack of reasoning. They understand socialism, but fail to grasp the idea of a king with limited power. They understand coup, but struggle with civil war. Weird, right? Reading comprehension is still a problem, which is not good going into EOGs... crap. But it seems better than fall, which is positive.

Break Beach City House

I love spring break. I love it even more as a teacher than I did as a student. Also, spring break is a lot better in a climate where it is actually spring during break. Being outside is glorious. Sunburn and all. And do I have sunburn or what. Pretty sure part of my back is purple it's so burned. I got all this sun at the Outer Banks on Tuesday. A.H. and I took a few more days than originally planned to get out there, but it was a much cheaper trip since we didn't stay. We went to Rodanthe (yes, just like the movie - we saw where Richard Gere plays pool), and then drove down to the Hatteras Lighthouse. I love the lighthouse. We couldn't go inside it because it doesn't open until mid-April, but it still looks incredible. Next trip: Lost Colony and Ocracoke.

A.H. and I spent a lot of time admiring beach houses - their levels, their colors, their windows, their porches - and trying to figure out what it would be like to live out on the islands.

(If I get pictures from A.H., I'll post them here.)

After the beach, Grandparents came to town. First we ate in Edenton and saw the Sound. The next day we caravanned to D.C. to see family. It was a very nice trip. I met and interacted with some very nice people in Fredericksburg, VA. There was construction traffic. It was stop-and-go and I HAD to get out. So I pulled off at a Starbucks, used the bathroom and was in line to order the lady in front of me started chatting about the traffic. I shared my plan of bailing onto another highway. Then the lady behind me piped up and told us all that the construction ended just ahead so we should probably just stick it out, rather than fighting all the other frustrated drivers on the alternative highway. Five minutes back on the highway, and it opened up, just like she said. Awesome. Thanks, Starbucks lady.

D.C. was incredible. Met one of my college roomies for coffee and learned about life outside TFA and education policy. She was on the phone with the Ambassador from Japan the other day. Beast.

Walking places and riding the metro was incredible. I also fell in love with a peace studies program at George Mason. Uh-oh.

Last new news of break is that my teaching roommate and I think we found a place to live next year! Exciting. It's near where we currently live, has two bedrooms, two baths, sunshine, fenced-in backyard and pet-friendly land-lords. YES! :)