This orb rose mysteriously from the depths of my computer. Insert vaguely unsettling music here to complete the effect.

Today’s Gratitude Item: Finished marking my 8th grader’s lab work in record time. Having only 18 in the group is a nice change from my other classes which have 25 and 26 students respectively. Downside is that this group find Science (and school life in general) a real challenge. They’re nice kids though and many of them are trying really hard – which is all that we can ask of them.