Exam time again

Ok, you know when you do a multiple choice question there is usually one answer that is totally rediculous? On my exam I had a question something like:

Which of the following is an example of a lever:
a) stapler b) double pulley c) pin d) pineapple

You wouldn't believe how many students thought it was pineapple. Oh well. I guess levers are a lost cause but maybe they learned some other stuff in my class.

I've got about 20 hours of marking to do tonight and only 12 hours before I have to be done it..... sigh..... When did Christmas time stop being fun. I want it to be all about action figures again.

My new toy / I've only been shocked twice this year

About a week ago a student shows up at my room and hands me a cardboard box full of wires and the four things that you see above.
"Mr., Ms. _____ found this in her closet and doesn't know what it is so she wanted to know if you want it."
So now I am the proud owner of a Quizbowl buzzer system complete with buzzers and lightbulbs of different colours. So unbelievably cool. I've been playing a review game with the grade 8's and using these things and I don't let them use the buzzers whenever they feel like it during the game so I occasionally have to just let them go to town for 5 seconds or so. You can see it start to build up in the kids eyes ("must..... push.... button!!!!!!!!).

"Mr. I can't help it, I have to push the button" has become the most common phrase in my class. My students are wonderful but don't let them near any rocket mounted nuclear warheads any time soon.

On a brighter note I've only been electrically shocked twice this semester so I'm about on pace to tie last year (anyone remember the electrified stainless steel counter that I had at the beginning of last year?). I got shocked plugging a glue gun into an overhead socket (must have a short somewhere) and I got shocked today right in front of the kids when I tried to clean off the heads of one of the buzzers without unplugging them. I'm very bright. When we get to the electricity unit I will just be able to remind them "he ladies and gentlemen, remember the time when I touched a live circuit right in front of you? Boy did I jump hey?

As long as I don't have a repeat of the 'student trying to plug a home made electromagnet into a wall socket' incident I'll be happy.

The best one!

Oh boy, I totally found the best present in the entire world for Sky (my brother). Well, actually I found it online about 4 months ago and I have been saving the idea since then. I can't say what it is in the very (very) slight chance that Sky gets a bunch of free time and decides to check this blog. Most people will probably be getting him 'baby' or 'dad' stuff so I figure it's ok if I'm not one of them.

Bull Fighting

I went to a bull fight yesterday.

I knew that I should go to at least one.

It was actually really thought provoking.

Seeing this bull in the middle of the ring looking lost and overwhelmed, and charging randomly about as matodores leap out and try to get it to run around the ring to tire it out was.... I'm not sure.... strange?

I've decided that I can't be down on bull fights unless I become a vegetarian, something that I've wanted to do for years but have never been organized or comitted enough to actually do it. So many parts of my diet include meat and so much of that meat has some element of suffering associated with it. Sure, bullfights are suffering for entertainment but a eating a good steak is its own kind of entertainment.

Well, at least the art of heckling isn't dead. Lots of good whistles from the crowd to show their displeasure for one matador who took too many tries to get the sword in.

I'll post pics soon.