Hold on, I need to call Mr. Bush...

This was one of the responses used by a 13th grader during a globalization debate today. She was a representative from the US government and used this when she was caught unprepared. Everyone (myself included) found it pretty clever and funny. Overall the debate was really interesting. The students were assigned various roles from government officials to celebrity advocates to academic speicialists to CEOs of multinational corporations, had time to prepare, and then debated. The students were able to express themselves very well and brought up many interesting and valid points.

Also today I had a double period with the 11th graders. There were only ten students, because the others were participating in a math competitions. It was wonderful. The students who were there were those who are really interested in language. In addition everyone was able to participate in discussions and answer questions. Also there is one problem student in that class and he was absent on Monday and at the competition today, and the class runs so much more smoothly when he is not there. It's amazing what a difference what student can make!

I have been reading quite a bit lately. I started Shogun by James Clavell last week and am really enjoying it. Although it definitely has gruesome parts, it keeps you interested,the story flows very well, and the characters are very intriguing. Also I spent yesterday afternoon reading The Giver, because I will be reading it with the 11th graders soon. It was a wonderful book. I can't believe I hadn't read it before.