It's been a hard week for Wakana at work. She has been using the credit slips to encourage participation in the classroom. Then, I heard from one of my students that some of her students were stealing the credit slips. She took it personally. It hit her hard. On top of that she had to get student volunteers for help on the Japanese Festival at Ypao Park on Saturday. She had 20 volunteers and only 5 showed up. She took that personally too.

I also learned that some students were stealing credit slips in my room. That, added to the book report cheater, means I have lots to talk about. I just don't take it personally.

Lots to do and no time to do it. I remember an old National Geographic article about rising waters flooding a portion of South American jungle. The name of the article has always stuck with me, Time is Short and the Water Rises. That's how I feel now.