Grades Amuck

Perhaps the coolest thing about my school is the online grading system. It’s a districtwide thing, this iGrade program, and it allows parents to check their student’s progress anytime…if they have Internet access. It’s good to have that transparency and it keeps me accountable; I’ve already received phone calls from parents asking me about assignments labeled as “missing” and whether their kid can retake a quiz. Something like iGrade is an example of useful technology. I still keep my grades in the paper-and-pen gradebook, but it seems there are no drawbacks to the online system. It’s super-easy to use, keeps everyone informed and has already instigated(?) communication between myself and parents. An aside…I realize that I have not yet initiated a phone call with a parent, which is something I resolved to do more of this year. I think I’ll call some parents tomorrow, starting with the parents of students from my fucked-up 3rd period class. Ugh, I need to get those kids back on track.

This evening I read that a Duck Amuck videogame was released today for the DS. Duck Amuck is a total masterpiece in my eyes and whaddaya know?? It turns out that the cartoon was totally award-winning! You remember, don’t you?? It’s the one Looney Tunes where the artist messes with Daffy Duck and when the fourth wall is broken it turns out to be Bugs Bunny. I feel silly typing here about these cartoon characters but for me, like for many others, those characters are near and dear to my heart.  That Wikipedia page is actually a pretty interesting read.  It explains how Daffy Duck is a highly-developed character that is still recognizable even if he doesn’t live in the woods or is mute or looks different than he is supposed to.  Anyway, the game is supposed to be a reimagination of the cartoon where the player is the artist/tormentor.  Can’t wait to play it!