Away with you, Cras, and on to some random thoughts. Starting a new year with new materials and new tools can be time-consuming. So many good ideas and intentions, so little time. What an exciting beginning, especially with a SmartBoard to focus student attention and interest. By observation, I can see a much larger percentage of student engagement than with older tools. Wish there were more time to develop more quality materials. It’s been particularly helpful to me because of my reduced mobility and because of increased student activity. They love to be the ones

Belatedly posting after grades, parent conferences and a million other commitments, am blogging at last. First about that huge spectre of grades. In an ideal world, studets would learnh for the love of acquiring knowledge and insatiable curiosity. In the real world, grades become the stick in a “carrot and stick” approach to learning.

As I muse about what this blog should be, I ponder what’s in a name. May the muses sit on my shoulder and inspire me. AphaBeta represents so many things to me: a love of words, of word play, of languages, of reading and, in a special way, me as well. For I was a dog breeder and as such needed to be the alpha in the pack much as we need to the alpha in our classroom. I had explained this principle so well that one year some very beloved departing seniors found me an appropriate or was it inappropriate bumper sticker which they gave me as a parting gift. Have never had the courage or chutzpah to stick it on my bumper. Maybe when I retire?

I’m glad this blogging class has forced me to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time that a major character flaw has prevented. I needed the impetus of this class to sit down and work on a blog. One of the favoite Latin words of this lover or words is the Latin word cras which means tomorrow. So much do I love this word that I have espoused its English derivative “procrastinate” as part of my basic operational style. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Right? Isn’t it true that last minute pressure brings great inspiration? Let me see what other rationalizing cliches I can think of.