5/27/2005

Stubborn Canker Sores, Ogres, and Oars

Yes, my canker sore is alive and well. It hurts. And it makes talking miserable, which makes teaching miserable. Thankfully, it's a 3-day weekend.

We were reading "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in my junior class today. One of the stanzas begins, "Then I heard the dash of oars." I stopped right before this stanze to check for comprehension, then asked them to look ahead and see what noise the mariner hears. After about 20 seconds and several wrong answers, one girl finally says, "Oh, oars?" Beaming (as much as possible with my huge canker sore, which is not at all), I excitedly affirm her response and ask what oars are. She, having been encouraged, confidently continues, "Like those things on Shrek." Puzzled and with a bewildered look, I frantically comb my memory for the 1 time I've seen the movie, desparately trying to remember a scene in a boat. She, seeing me confounded, clarifies, "Isn't that what he is? An oar?" The girl next to her laughs and says, "An ogre!" *sigh*

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