We spent a day in sixth grade considering the question, "Does the executive order on immigration make us safer?" The next two lessons after that were, "How does the order impact people?" and "How does the order come into conflict with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?"

I can't take any credit for the lesson design - KK did it, and she did a really good job. But, just so you know, I did write a bang-up activity on commas last week. So, there's that.

Anyway, one of my little lovelies raised her hand part way into the "Does it make us safer?" lesson and asked, "Is this one of those things where you give us the facts on one side, and then you give us the facts on the other side, and then we decide?"

"Well, Mary," I said, "I would give you facts to show that the executive order might make us safer, but there aren't any." I nodded at her. "The only facts are the ones we're talking about right now."

"Oh," she said. I let that sink in. Later, she reflected on the many sources we'd explored, and she read aloud from her notes: "The extraordinary thing about this is that we're more likely to be killed by our clothes starting on fire than we are to be killed by a radicalized refugee."

Yep.

Today, another kid asked me, "Are you going to present the other side of the Muslim ban?"

I had to say, "There are people who agree with the travel ban, but there aren't facts to support the idea that it will make us safer."

"Oh," the kid said.

Somebody else told an admissions visitor that he likes my class because,"When something in the news goes viral, we talk about it right away."

I like that, too. We're a modern global issues class, and President Trump is really dumping a lot of global issues right at our feet. I guess I want to say to Mr. Trump in language he'll understand, "SEE YOU IN THE CLASSROOM."



If Mac were president.

Reading as a democratic act.

Well, it's been tough to start typing, both here and on my fiction writing project. The fiction writing project (okay, let's just start calling it a book, but not The Book, and most definitely not My Stupid BookTM). Anyway, as it currently stands, it's off in my writing teacher's hands for a complete read-through.

I had to send her the revised chapters in the same week as my report card comments were due because, oh my god, poor planning.

Anyway, it's been hard to type anything because:

1. I'm obsessed by the news of our unhinged president. It's much worse than I imagined, as he's actually driven by only narcissism and revenge. I can't stop reading the papers. It seems like the only thing TO do.  I mean, besides march and do my weekly resistance items. And, I guess, pray.

2. The report card comment cycle. After they go out, I inevitably contact and am contacted by families who want to follow up. That's good and normal.

3. I got sick. There's a respiratory pestilence floating around, and despite my fervent protests, I contracted it. I had to stay home from school on Wednesday, which is a pain and which I hate, and now my face has a massive psoriasis outbreak. Because did you know that respiratory infection is a well-documented psoriasis trigger? I mean, really. Teaching with a facial rash is one of my least favorite states in which to teach. I'd rather teach with a stain on my shirt or even my fly down than with red blotches all over my face. I would, however, choose the facial rash over a third pregnancy. Pregnancy is a terrible state in which to teach. Anyway, the only thing to do is acknowledge that I have a facial rash and watch the students study it openly in response to this confirmation.

Get Over It in 3 Acts

It's Still Not Friday (but today it actually is)

Well, I got a little distracted by the shocking international news of Donald Trump's election. I think we all did.

Lots of people have written lots of thoughtful pieces about that, including Ali Michael, Josh Marshall, and Garrison Keillor.

I don't have much to add except I'm hoping all of the women will keep their pantsuits on and show up like never before. We'll probably have to donate to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and we'll also have to put our bodies in the streets. There will be other things.

One other thing will be to read extensively and to produce good work. Reading, as Anna Quindlen reminded me, is a democratic act. It builds empathy and it increases your ability to participate as a citizen.

Producing my little fiction writing project - a beach read, really - seems pretty insignificant, but I'm doing it.  I've been averaging 563 words per day during the month of November. I've cracked the 5k mark in NaNoWriMo. The whole thing is 110 paperback pages long.

As luck would have it, my teacher's assignment this week is to assemble the whole book. I won't be able to do that because I don't have all of the parts written. But, I will be able to create chapters and write little chunks of them as placeholders. By the end of the weekend, the whole book will be started.

And, I should be able to see if my story holds up and where the holes are. I'm tripping over one major hole already. The main character - one of them, the teacher - gets threatening voicemails at her home number. It's a big deal that this happens. It's her inciting incident. And, I'm thinking there has to be kind of a twist with the messages.

And, shhhhhh. This part is a secret: I don't know who's leaving the voicemails. I've got some suspects, but I really don't know why they're doing it exactly and what they're getting out of it.

So, that seems like something to figure out post-haste, yes? Maybe this week?  I'll give it a go.