Back after two weeks, and we had a two hour delay because of snow. Actually, it was a really civilized time to get up too - in school by 8:30, waking up at 6:30, very nice. I'm glad we're back, though. I didn't realize it until this morning once I started teaching, but I really missed it. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed having the two weeks off, but I really enjoy spending time with my students too. Ha!

So, the resolutions for the New Year - along with the usual exercise regularly, eat healthily, try not to spend too much money ...

Listen to my students
Be less sarcastic in the classroom
Stay caught up on my grading.

Let's see if that actually works.

Today's gem in a discussion about the patterns of the French Revolution: "Are you married?" When asked why he wanted to know that, the student replied that I had mentioned that I was reading history over the break, and that most married people didn't read history. Frankly, I don't want to know just what he thought married people did instead. Surprisingly, the one student whom I did not expect to come to my rescue said "Man, everybody reads history, even married people."

I'm sure that I turned quite a bright shade of red in response to that particular line of questioning.