I Really Am Still Alive

For the handful of folks who actually follow this blog, it may have seemed that I had fallen into a sinkhole or stepped in front of a bus, considering how long it's been since I've made an entry.  But it's nothing so dire.  My absence has been occasioned by two major time-eating events, one of which is actually a number of smaller events.

The first was the end of the school year for my seniors, who make up pretty much all of my students.  That's the one that's several smaller events combined.  My students had three major projects due over the last two weeks, which meant I was busy helping with last-minute issues, grading papers, answering literally hundreds of emails, watching and scoring presentations, recording grades, fixing grades--the list goes on. In my role as senior class advisor, it's mostly been preparation for Color Day, which, despite the fact that we felt like we were temporarily relocated to the Arctic Circle, went very well.  The cleanup is finished and all the bills are paid; all that's left for me is working with the commencement speakers and attending functions, which requires no preparation on my part.

The second, probably more stressful, time-eater was my National Board renewal.  As hard as it is for me to believe, it's been ten years since I completed work on my NBCT and nine years since I received certification.  So I had to submit a renewal portfolio this year.  The process was not nearly as daunting as the first time around, but still required a good deal of reflecting, video-recording, writing, and gathering of materials.  Somehow adding to and simultaneously subtracting from the stress was the fact that the whole process was online this time around.  Rather than mailing in a box of items in various envelopes behind various cover sheets, it was all uploaded to a website.  It was less stressful in that the deadline was extended an entire month, something of which I took full advantage.  It was more stressful, however, in that this was a completely new process--this is the first year they are doing the e-portfolio-- and it was so simple that it seemed like I must have missed something.  But all of the items were uploaded, reviewed, re-uploaded ,sometimes three and four times before I was happy with the final product, and I am excited, though trepidatious, that I clicked, "Submit For Approval" early this afternoon.  Pass or fail, it's now over.

So now I have a short window before the merry-go-round starts up again.  I leave for the AP reading on June 8, so for a few days I get to do crazy things like read for pleasure and actually edit my book.  I'll have to re-introduce myself to Harry and Dee.  They'll have forgotten who I am it's been so long.  

And I might even have some time to write on here once in awhile. :)