Ok, folks, you knew I would tell you about it. A week at Rice University studying the syllabus of Advanced Placement English. Bunches of English teachers together in class....What does that give you? Lots of opinions, obsessions with books, lovers of the beauty and power of language, and yeah, love of kids.
After enjoying Italian food at Birraperreti's, Jane and I took in an Agatha Christie play at the Alley Theatre. We stayed at the Hilton. Our rooms were wonderful, but not without a few issues. One night the fire alarm rang, and an announcement came on for everyone to stay in their rooms. I slept through the whole thing. Most of the other folks didn't and they complained about losing their sleep the next morning. Another day the water went out and when it finally came back on, we could only take cold showers! The hot water was working by morning. I told Jane poor little Paris probably won't receive as large an allowance this month because if the complaints were bad about the alarm, the complaints about the water abounded. It wasn't really that bad, more annoying.
After classes, we hopped on the Hilton's shuttle and wondered around the Village, tasting the unique cuisine offered in the middle of downtown Houston. One interesting restaurant we visited was Benjy's; it was modern American cuisine.
Instead of shopping for clothes, we haunted Half Price Books and bought more books for bookshelves at home already groaning under their current load.
By the end of the week, we learned useful information and are preparing to incorporate it in our classes for the upcoming year. We also made new friends and learned new teaching strategies from them. Quite a productive week.
