The First Sounds of School

Well, here we are a couple of weeks in and I'm getting accustomed to the sounds of school. The moaning, groaning and complaining and all the new teenage terminology that has you wondering, "Are they talkin about me?" I have had the opportunity to butcher the pronunciation of a few names (I have students from all over the world with names that are just as difficult to pronounce as some of my American students.) This brings on that teen-age tone asking you, "Are dumb or something...can't you read?" Yeah, many of you know that tone. And it's accompanied with that eye roll that makes you understand why your mother used to walk away from you praying, "Lord help me so i don't choke this child." Last week I was also hit with:
-"What a quiz? We just started school two weeks ago!"
- "Exactly, we started schoooooooool. You know... books, work, quizzes, tests. Where do you think that big yellow thing you get on each morning is taking you... Kings Island?"*

* Kings Island is an amusement park

The Back To School Tattoo


Hey...


Tired of the same old boring back to school shopping for clothes and supplies? Well... go on out and get yourself a Back To School Tattoo!! That's right... forget about those folders, pencils , pens and notebooks. Go get yourself some INK!! They're all the rage!

No one sounds cool walking down the hall saying, "Wait until we get to class and I'll show you my back to school supplies..." But, "Wait until we get to class and I'll show you my back to school tattoo" will have them crowding around your desk with envy and admiration! Choose from the traditional mother's name in the middle of a heart on the forearm. Or the ever so popular current girlfriend's or boyfriend's name (who by the way, you more than likely won't marry) tattooed on your neck. Maybe wings are your thing instead those tedious things like paper. Tattoos may not help you with passing classes but they may help you appear to be one of the "cool" kids. So, put down those nerdy school "necessities" and get what you need to look 2 cool 4 school... A Back To School Tattoo!

Disclaimer : Facial tattoos not recommended for anyone wishing to be competitive in the job market or for those who don't have a guaranteed means of making millions of dollars in their lifetime.

Room 208

Welcome to Room 208.

Some of you have either read about my exploits in teaching on facebook or we've had a beer as I ranted or made fun of the days episodes. Well, finally this blog has been created so that I can get not only stories but my cartoons to a wider audience.

Room 208 is a strip about my daily activities and thoughts as an educator. Over the past 12-13 years, I've accumulated quite a bit of material with which to work. Hope fully these cartoons and occasional writings (new and old) provide some humor as you go through the day hearing your name being called for the thousandth time.

I'll try to post new cartoons every Monday Wednesday and Friday. The short essays/rants will be posted as they come to me.

Enjoy,

Marcus Fletcher


It Time...


Yes, folks it's that time...

Summer is almost over. It's time to check that list of things that you were going to do over the summer:
1. Rebuilding the back deck.....
2. Painting the garage...
3. Drinking beer before noon and watching the World Cup...CHECK!

For many, it's time to start waking up early so that you're used to it by the first day of school. I've also noticed that kids don't move as fast during the first week of August as they do during the first week of June. The first week in June kids are moving so that they don't waste a second of doing nothing. Now they move like herds of animals going to a watering hole. Slowly moving because there isn't any rush to get there. School, like the watering hole ain't goin nowhere so, why rush? In June, teenagers where all over the streets, hangin' out. Now they're locked in their rooms completing summer assignments that they left until the last possible moment. My friend Neil works in a bookstore and he told me that some kids come in the day/ night before the first day of school to get the summer reading books!

For parents, it's like the Staples commercial states, "It's The Most Beautiful Time Of The Year...". I've seen parents visibly grinning as they lead their angels down the school supply aisle. They're also grinning because within a week their house will once again be just that... their house. It won't be the Rec center for your children and their always hungry friends. Every night won't be a potential slumber party because you can now hit with, "It's a school night". And after you clean the house, it'll stay that way until at least 4-5p.m.Well parents, congratulations! You survived another summer. So get on their and plan your "They're going back to school mimosa party" that you have as soon as they leave the house.

For many of my colleagues, it's time to go through those boxes of crap that you brought home (and tossed in the basement or closet) last summer and swear that you won't bring this much home this year. It's time for the planning and meetings about the last meeting in order to talk about the next meeting. The beginning of the year is also a time of hope and wondering. You wonder about your classes, the students and how much you'll be able to accomplish within the year. You try to guess which students will come back a little more mature and which ones you're going to want to choke. You wonder what the new students will be like, and how many names will you mispronounce and how long will it take you to pronounce it correctly? Your mind the drifts to the question, Is this the year these kids drive me nuts and I snap and end up on the news? If this question has never entered your mind, you're a saint or you're new to the game. But hey... hang in there. You get there too.

Have a great year folks! And when it gets tough just keep tellin' yourself, "I can't put my hands on the kids...I can't put my hands on the kids"