Anybody out there?

I'm breaking my long blog silence (which I've been meaning to do for several days!) because I just can't NOT tell people this!

I'm grading papers for my brand new little 7th graders, and they're so cute! They had to write a five-paragraph essay on what makes a good book. What made me spring up from my seat and jump onto the computer is this fabulous line:

"Seriousness is the third most important thing a book needs. Wherefore do you ask? Because if the book..."

Isn't that RICH?!?! It couldn't have been much later than the second day of school that I taught them that wherefore means WHY and not WHERE. And he remembered... and used it! Despite the awkwardness of usage, my little heart was thrilled. I'm teaching people things that they will remember forever. And YES it is important to know that:)

In more general news, the year is going SO well. I feel like my older kids have made a break-through and are starting to really think about Literature in the way I've been pushing them to for the past two years. I don't know what could be more rewarding. It's so good to see.

I LOVE TEACHING!

Way to Go Buchholtz!

Well, I was going to write a post for all the non-baseball people out there - trying to give you a glimpse of why I'm such a huge fan by using this evening's incredible game (first no-hitter by a rookie in Red Sox history), but I started and quickly stalled. I don't know if I'm up to the task of expressing it in words. If you were only HERE experiencing it with Ben, Dave, Uncle Paul, Melissa, Anna, Josh and TJ, sitting at the edges of our seats, realizing one tiny mistake could blow the whole thing, and watching him, pitch by pitch, avoid those mistakes, THEN you might start to get it. The suspense and silence, the burst of rejoicing and relief, the happy chatter bubbling out afterwards, the reliving of the most tense and most amazing moments... WHAT A GAME! Truly, that's one of the most masterful of accomplishments.